...
By Andrew Stanton
Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Daniel Moreno-Gama, the man accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail at the home of OpenAI founder Sam Altman, believed artificial intelligence (AI) posed a threat to humanity, according to prosecutors.
Moreno-Gama has been charged with throwing the device at Altman’s home about 4 a.m. Friday before threatening to burn down the company’s headquarters, according to court documents. The arrest highlights security concerns for high‑profile tech executives as AI companies face public scrutiny. Altman is among the most prominent AI leaders amid the technology's rapid growth in recent years.
Arrest Made in Connection to Sam Altman Home Attack: What We Know
Moreno-Gama was arrested Friday, and officials found a document in which he “identified views opposed to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the executives of various AI companies.” The document included a mention about his beliefs on AI and “our impending extinction.”
Read More on News
A copy of the complaint provided to Newsweek said that officers recovered "incendiary devices, a jug of kerosene, a blue lighter, and a document from his possession upon his arrest.
"The document was a three part series that MORENO-GAMA apparently authored, which identified views opposed to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the executives of various AI companies, including Victim-1."
...
He faces charges of attempted damage and destruction of property by means of explosives and possession of an unregistered firearm, according to the document.
Information about his legal representation remained unclear.
Anthony Aguirre, president and CEO of the Future of Life Institute, said on Friday that "violence and intimidation of any kind have no place in the conversation about the future of AI."
In a separate incident, two suspects have been arrested, accused of negligent discharge in a shooting near Altman's home. An OpenAI spokesperson previously told Newsweek the shooting was not related to Altman and that there was no indication of any connection to or targeting of Altman's house.
Who Is Daniel Moreno-Gama?
Anti-AI group PauseAI wrote in a post to X that Moreno-Gama "joined our public Discord server about two years ago" and posted "a total of 34 messages."
"None contained explicit calls to violence. Our moderators nonetheless flagged one message as ambiguous and issued a warning out of caution," the group wrote to X, adding that it "unequivocally condemns the attack on Sam Altman's home and all forms of violence, intimidation, and harassment." Moreno-Gama has been banned from the group's server.
"Those who are now trying to use this tragedy to discredit AI safety advocacy should consider what world they are arguing for. A world where there is no organised, peaceful movement, but the fear remains, is a far more dangerous world. Undermining PauseAI does not make anyone safer, it makes further such incidents more likely," the group's statement reads.
Moreno-Gama, 20, is from Spring, Texas, a suburb of Houston. FBI agents searched his home Monday morning.
Sam Altman Responded to Attack
Altman addressed the incident in a blog post Friday in which he posted a photo of his family.
“Images have power, I hope. Normally we try to be pretty private, but in this case 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. “The first person did it last night, at 3:45 am in the morning. Thankfully it bounced off the house and no one got hurt.”
Altman wrote that he believes he had "underestimated the power of words and narratives."
He addressed concerns many people have with AI, writing that he views it as "the most powerful tool for expanding human capability and potential that anyone has ever" but that fear and anxiety about it is "justified."
"We are in the process of witnessing the largest change to society in a long time, and perhaps ever. We have to get safety right, which is not just about aligning a model—we urgently need a society-wide response to be resilient to new threats. This includes things like new policy to help navigate through a difficult economic transition in order to get to a much better future," he wrote.
Much of the concern about AI, he wrote, "comes from sincere concern about the incredibly high stakes of this technology."
Concerns about the impact of AI are prevalent among Americans. A recent Quinnipiac University poll found that 80 percent of all Americans are either somewhat or very concerned about the technology, 74 percent said they do not believe the government is doing enough to regulate it and 70 percent said it will contribute to a decline in the number of job opportunities.
The poll surveyed 1,397 adults from March 19-23 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.
What Happens Next
Details on Moreno-Gama's court appearance remained unclear Monday afternoon.
This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
Update 4/13/26, 4:45 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines