Two suspects were arrested in San Francisco after allegedly firing at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s home early Sunday morning, the second attack on the property in three days, as federal and local prosecutors escalate charges against a separate suspect from an earlier Molotov cocktail incident.
Summary
- Amanda Tom, 25, and Muhamad Tarik Hussein, 23, were arrested April 13 after a Honda sedan stopped outside Altman’s North Beach property and a round was allegedly fired from the passenger window.
- Days earlier, 20-year-old Daniel Moreno-Gama was charged with attempted murder after throwing a lit incendiary device at Altman’s home before moving on to threaten to burn down OpenAI’s headquarters.
- Moreno-Gama was carrying a three-part manifesto detailing anti-AI beliefs and listing names and addresses of AI executives, board members, and investors.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s San Francisco home was targeted for a second time in three days on April 13, when a Honda sedan carrying two people stopped outside the property on Lombard Street and a shot was allegedly fired from the passenger window. The San Francisco Police Department arrested Amanda Tom, 25, and Muhamad Tarik Hussein, 23, who were booked on charges of negligent discharge of a firearm. Three firearms were seized from their home following a warrant.
No injuries were reported in either incident.
The first attack occurred in the early hours of April 10, when 20-year-old Daniel Moreno-Gama, a Texas resident, allegedly threw a lit Molotov cocktail at the driveway gate of Altman’s home, setting it on fire. He then walked to OpenAI’s Mission Bay headquarters and struck the glass doors with a chair while threatening to “burn it down and kill anyone inside.” He was arrested at the scene.
The FBI described the first attack as “planned, targeted and extremely serious.” Federal and local prosecutors charged Moreno-Gama with attempted murder of both Altman and his security guard, attempted arson, possession of an unregistered firearm, and attempted destruction of property by means of explosives. The US Attorney for the Northern District of California said domestic terrorism charges may also follow.
Who Was Behind the First Attack
Moreno-Gama was found carrying a document that detailed his opposition to artificial intelligence and explicitly named Altman as a target. The manifesto stated his belief that AI posed a risk of human extinction and listed the names and addresses of multiple AI executives, board members, and investors. He had reportedly published similar views on a personal Substack prior to the attack.
His public defender said he appeared to have experienced an “acute mental health crisis.” Altman posted a photo of his family on his blog shortly after the first attack, writing that he “underestimated the power of words and narratives” and calling for de-escalation of AI-related rhetoric.
The Broader Pattern of Anti-AI Violence
The two incidents at Altman’s home are part of a wider pattern of hostility toward AI infrastructure. A city councilman in Indianapolis was shot at 13 times after voicing support for a data center project. A town near St. Louis voted out its entire incumbent council after approving a data center. Experts have drawn parallels to the Luddite backlash of the Second Industrial Revolution.
The attacks come as OpenAI sits at the center of a high-stakes race in enterprise AI, where it has been losing ground to Anthropic across key corporate accounts, while simultaneously finalizing an AI cybersecurity product for limited partner release. The company is valued at over $850 billion and is targeting an IPO this year.
“There is no place in our democracy for violence against anyone, regardless of the AI lab they work at or side of the debate they belong to,” OpenAI said in a statement following the first attack.
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