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A 20-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder following a targeted attack on the San Francisco home of OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman.
Daniel Alejandro Moreno-Gama, a resident of Spring, Texas, was arrested on Friday morning after allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at Altman’s residence and later threatening to “burn down” the company’s headquarters.
According to the San Francisco District Attorney’s office, the incident began at approximately 4:00 AM on Friday, April 10, 2026. Surveillance footage reportedly captured Moreno-Gama throwing an incendiary device at the exterior gate of Altman’s Russian Hill home. The fire self-extinguished before emergency crews arrived, and no injuries were reported. Altman was at home at the time of the attack but was unharmed.
Campaign of terror
The violence escalated an hour later when Moreno-Gama appeared at OpenAI’s headquarters in Mission Bay. Security personnel reported that the suspect used a chair to strike the building’s glass doors while shouting threats to kill those inside. Police officers, recognising the suspect’s description from the earlier firebombing, detained him on the scene. Authorities recovered a jug of kerosene, a lighter and a document that prosecutors described as an “anti-AI manifesto.”
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins confirmed on Monday that Moreno-Gama faces multiple state felonies, including two counts of attempted murder – targeting both Altman and a security guard – as well as arson and possession of a destructive device. Federal prosecutors have also brought charges for the destruction of property using explosives, with U.S. Attorney Craig Missakian stating the case will be treated as an act of “domestic terrorism.”
The attack has sent shockwaves through Silicon Valley, occurring amid a period of intense public debate over the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence. In a blog post addressing the incident, Altman shared a rare personal photo of his family, hoping to “dissuade the next person from throwing a Molotov cocktail at our house.” He added that while anxiety regarding technology is “justified,” it is essential to “de-escalate the rhetoric.”
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