Man accused of trying to kill OpenAI’s Sam Altman in home attack

A man from Texas has been accused of multiple state charges for throwing a Molotov cocktail at the home of OpenAI boss Sam Altman in San Francisco, with two counts of attempted murder. 

Police arrested 20-year-old Daniel Moreno-Gama from Spring, Texas, outside OpenAI’s offices, and he’s scheduled to hear those charges at an arraignment on Tuesday.

The US Justice Department alleges he was found with documents advocating against artificial intelligence (AI) and calling for crimes to be committed against AI executives and investors.

According to the BBC, the 20-year-old is also facing federal felony charges that include possession of an unregistered firearm and attempted damage and destruction of property using explosives.

“Violence cannot be the norm for expressing disagreement, be it with politics or a technology or any other matter,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. 

“These alleged actions – which damaged property and could well have taken lives – will be aggressively prosecuted.”

OpenAI said in a statement, “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.”

It added that “to ensure society gets AI right, we need to work through the democratic process” and “we welcome a good-faith debate.”

Local and federal authorities did not identify the person or house that was the subject of the attempted attacks, but on Friday, a spokeswoman for OpenAI confirmed to the BBC that the related incident had occurred at Altman’s home.

In their criminal complaint, federal prosecutors allege that Moreno-Gama set fire to an exterior gate at Altman’s home around 4:00 local time (12:00 BST) on Friday before fleeing on foot.

The BBC further reports that Moreno-Gama is accused of trying to set fire to the San Francisco headquarters of OpenAI, which makes ChatGPT, about an hour later.

Security personnel on site stated Moreno-Gama tried to use a chair to strike the glass doors of the building, according to the complaint.

The justice department also said officers had recovered incendiary devices, a jug of kerosene, and a lighter from Moreno-Gama.

According to the BBC, Moreno-Gama allegedly carried documents discussing potential risks that AI poses to humanity, with a section titled “Some more words on the matter of our impending extinction.”

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The documents also allegedly stated, “If I am going to advocate for others to kill and commit crimes, then I must lead by example and show that I am fully sincere in my message,” and included the names and addresses of board members, CEOs, and investors at various AI companies.

The BBC also reports that the criminal complaint includes several images taken from surveillance cameras that show Moreno-Gama at both locations.

Reports, however, stated that no one was injured during the incidents.

“I’m grateful that Mr Altman, his family, and his employees were uninjured in these attacks and are safe,” San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said at a Monday press conference on the state charges.

Earlier Monday, the FBI conducted a raid in Texas related to the incident, according to a post on X from FBI Director Kash Patel.

Hours after the incident at his home on Friday, Altman cited what he called the “incendiary article about me” and said, “We should de-escalate the rhetoric and tactics and try to have fewer explosions in fewer homes, figuratively and literally.”

Altman later posted on X that he regretted linking the article and the alleged attack after receiving criticism on social media.

(BBC)