What just happened? The person behind the Molotov cocktail attack on Sam Altman's home who also threatened to burn down OpenAI's offices over the weekend was motivated by the belief that AI would lead to humanity's extinction. Daniel Moreno-Gama, from Texas, is facing several charges for his actions, including attempted murder.
Twenty-year-old Moreno-Gama threw a bottle containing a flaming rag at the metal gate of 855 Chestnut Street at around 3:40 am on Friday. He was later detained outside of OpenAI's Third Street offices after threatening to burn down the building.
The Department of Justice has now charged Moreno-Gama. The release includes photos appearing to show him holding the Molotov and throwing it at Altman's residence.
There are also images of Moreno-Gama hitting the OpenAI office's glass door with a chair. He said at the time that he had come to burn down the location and kill anyone inside.
In addition to a jug of kerosene and a blue lighter, San Francisco Police Department officers found a three-part document on Moreno-Gama. The first section is titled "Your Last Warning." It advocates the killing of, and the commission of other crimes against, CEOs of AI companies and their investors and lists multiple names and addresses.
Moreno-Gama admitted to attempting to kill Altman in the document and requested others to join his movement.
A second section, titled "some more words on the matter of our impending extinction," mentions the risks to humanity posed by AI.
The document ends with a letter addressed to the OpenAI boss that reads: "If by some miracle you live, then I would take this as a sign from the divine to redeem yourself…"
On the same day he committed the attack, Moreno-Gama emailed a version of the document to representatives at his former college, Lone Star College, back in Montgomery, Texas.
The San Francisco District Attorney said on Monday that Moreno-Gama is being charged with attempted murder. He is also facing federal charges that include attempted damage and destruction of property by means of explosives and possession of an unregistered firearm.
Altman responded to the incident on Friday by publishing a post that included a photo of his husband and their child. "I am sharing a photo in the hopes that it might dissuade the next person from throwing a Molotov cocktail at our house, no matter what they think about me," he wrote. He admitted in his post that "the fear and anxiety about AI is justified."
Two days after the attack took place, a second incident occurred targeting Altman's property. The police report states that on Sunday at 1:40 am, a Honda sedan with two people inside stopped in front of Altman's property. The person in the passenger seat then put their hand out the window and appeared to fire a round at the house before the car fled.
Two suspects, Amanda Tom, 25, and Muhamad Tarik Hussein, 23, were arrested and booked for negligent discharge. Three firearms were located and seized at the residence where the suspects were arrested.