Texas Man Charged with Attempted Murder in Molotov Attack on Sam Altman

A 20-year-old man from Texas was charged Monday with attempted murder after authorities say he traveled to San Francisco specifically to attack OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, throwing a Molotov cocktail at his home before threatening to burn down the company’s headquarters and kill those inside.

Daniel Moreno-Gama faces two counts of attempted murder and attempted arson in California state court, according to San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. The charges could carry penalties ranging from 19 years to life in prison. Separately, federal prosecutors charged him with possession of an unregistered firearm and attempted damage to and destruction of property by means of explosives, which could add up to 30 years if he is convicted on both counts.

The early-morning attack on April 10 unfolded in two stages, captured on surveillance video. At 3:37 a.m., a man authorities identified as Moreno-Gama approached the gated entrance to Altman’s North Beach residence and hurled a flaming incendiary device from about 10 feet away. The device struck the exterior gate and set it on fire. Less than an hour later, he appeared at OpenAI’s headquarters in the Mission Bay neighborhood, roughly three miles away. There, he used a chair to strike the glass doors and told security staff he intended to burn the building down and kill everyone inside, according to a federal criminal complaint.

San Francisco police arrested him shortly afterward. Officers found a jug of kerosene, a lighter, and a three-part document in his possession that investigators describe as a manifesto. The first section, titled “Your Last Warning,” explicitly identified Moreno-Gama as the author and called for Altman’s death while urging others to kill AI company leaders. The document included names, addresses, and other personal details of multiple AI executives and investors. It framed artificial intelligence as an existential threat, warning of humanity’s “impending extinction” if development continued unchecked.

“This was not spontaneous. This was planned, targeted and extremely serious,” said Matt Cobo, the FBI’s acting special agent in charge in San Francisco, at a press conference Monday. No one was injured in either incident.

FBI agents executed a search warrant at Moreno-Gama’s family home in Spring, Texas, a Houston suburb, on Monday morning. Neighbors described seeing agents carry out boxes and spend several hours at the property. Sources familiar with the investigation told reporters that Moreno-Gama had been driven by strong anti-AI beliefs and that the document recovered in San Francisco amounted to a manifesto laying out his intentions.

The case arrives at a moment of unusually sharp tension in the technology sector. For years, Altman has positioned himself as both an optimistic champion of artificial intelligence and a cautious voice calling for oversight. He has warned lawmakers about the technology’s potential to reshape society while simultaneously racing to build more powerful systems at OpenAI. That duality has made him a lightning rod. Some critics on the political right view him as an avatar of unchecked globalist technocracy. Others, including a vocal group of AI safety researchers and decelerationists, argue that companies like OpenAI are hurtling toward systems that could escape human control, with consequences that might include mass displacement or worse.

Jenkins, the district attorney, used the occasion to call for lowering the temperature in public debate. “The rhetoric around artificial intelligence has become increasingly heated,” she said, urging people to avoid language that could incite violence. Her comments reflect a growing recognition that the AI debate has moved beyond academic conferences and Silicon Valley cocktail parties into something more visceral. Online forums and private group chats have seen rising talk of direct action against AI infrastructure. While the overwhelming majority of people expressing concern about AI risks do so through writing, advocacy, and policy work, a small fringe appears to be radicalizing.

The incident also highlights the practical vulnerabilities of the people steering the AI revolution. Many top executives now employ private security details and maintain fortified homes, a visible sign that the stakes feel real to those closest to the technology. Altman himself has long been open about receiving death threats, though few have materialized into physical attempts.

Moreno-Gama’s journey from a Houston suburb to the doorstep of one of tech’s most recognizable figures suggests a level of determination that investigators are taking seriously. The criminal complaint notes he targeted two neighboring properties also associated with Altman, indicating some degree of research and planning. His writings echoed long-standing arguments from parts of the AI ethics and effective altruism communities about existential risk, though those communities have uniformly condemned violence.

OpenAI declined to comment beyond saying it was cooperating with law enforcement. Altman has not issued a public statement since the attack.

Moreno-Gama is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday. Online records do not yet show whether he has retained counsel. Federal and local authorities said the investigation remains active, with agents continuing to examine the full scope of his online activity and potential contacts.

The episode arrives as Congress and regulators continue to debate how, or whether, to slow the breakneck pace of AI development. For some, the attack will be read as proof that the technology is provoking understandable fear. For others, it will serve as a reminder that the most dangerous responses to powerful new tools often come not from careful policy but from isolated individuals who lose faith in institutions’ ability to manage risk. Either way, it underscores how thoroughly artificial intelligence has moved from abstract future concern to present-day flashpoint.