Days after the residence of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was attacked by a 20-year-old man with a ‘Molotov cocktail’, the accused has been charged with attempted murder, even as investigating officers are probing if the attack falls under the purview of domestic terrorism.

The accused identified as Daniel Moreno-Gama, a resident of Texas, travelled to San Francisco on April 10 to attack Altman’s house in Russian Hill neighborhood and later the OpenAI headquarters in the city, with the intent to “kill Altman and his OpenAI staff”, as he harbored “anti-AI” feelings, said investigating officers.

On Monday, a team of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) raided the accused’s house in Spring, TX, warranted by a court order. In a joint press conference held in San Francisco on Monday, officials from the FBI, SF Police Department and District Attorney offices, claimed that the act by Moreno was “thoughtful, deliberate and carefully planned” and provided details about the attack on OpenAI CEO’s house and the company’s headquarters.

“on April 10, Gama travelled to the residence of Altman in Russian hills and threw an incendiary object. He then travelled to OpenAI headquarters and attempted to break the glass doors, saying he has come to burn down the building and kill anyone inside. SFPD officers responding to distress calls found an incendiary object, kerosene, a lighter and a document from the accused’s car. The document contained his views opposed to AI and AI executives and reflected that the author had killed or attempted to kill the OpenAI CEO. We are investigating if Gama executed his actions to change public policy or coerce government or other officials. We will then treat this as an act of domestic terrorism,” said Craig Missakian, US attorney for Northern District of California.

“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.”

Full… pic.twitter.com/6ThnDL9CpJ

— U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) April 13, 2026

Officials said Moreno is being charged for attempted murder of at least two persons.

“I am grateful that Mr. Altman, his family and his employees are safe from this attack. My office has now filed charges against Daniel Gama for attempted murder of victim Sam Altman, attempted murder of the security guard that was present at Altman’s home, possession of a destructive device with the intent to injure or intimidate and attempted arson of the home. We interpret this behavior for what it is-an attempt on Altman’s life and an extreme danger to those around him,” said Brooke Jenkins, DA, San Francisco.

The attack on Sam Altman’s residence follows growing protests in U.S. against increasing investment in artificial intelligence over fears of job loss and the arrival of “superintelligence“- an AI system  that surpasses human abilities.

Recently, over 200 protestors marched to the offices of OpenAI, Anthropic and xAI in San Francisco under the banner “Stop The AI Race” demanding that the CEOs commit to a conditional pause on their frontier AI model research. Post the attack, the organizers of Stop The AI Race condemned the actions of Moreno and claimed that he was acting on his own and his actions would derail the purpose of their protests.

Also Read: AI Safety Activists Condemn Violence Against OpenAI’s Sam Altman

Meanwhile, DA Jenkins stressed on the need for healthy dialogue and debate and to reflect on the “harmful incendiary rhetoric” against artificial intelligence.

“This should also be a moment where our nation should reflect on the often incendiary rhetoric being used in the discussions about artificial intelligence and its future implications on our society. In no way, should we be at a point where a man would have lost his life over differences of opinion and concerns. We must engage in healthy dialogue , we must focus on solutions towards protecting our workforce and protecting each other. This type of behaviour will never be accepted,” added Jenkins.