Daniel Moreno-Gama, 22, was arrested last Friday after allegedly throwing a lit Molotov cocktail at the San Francisco home of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and threatening to attack the company's headquarters. The incident, which caused minor damage, has drawn attention to a young man whose online writings reveal a deepening fixation on the existential dangers of artificial intelligence.
Federal and state authorities have charged Moreno-Gama, who faces an attempted murder charge in California. His court-appointed attorney, Diamond Ward, stated on Tuesday that her client has a "history of autism and mental health illness" and that his actions "appear to have been driven by an acute mental health crisis." She called the charges "unfair and unjust."
From College Student to AI Activist
Moreno-Gama was a student at Lone Star College in Montgomery, Texas, until January 2026, living with his mother in the Houston suburbs. His path appears to have shifted in June 2024 when he joined the Discord channel of PauseAI, an AI safety advocacy group, under the alias "Butlerian Jihadist." Over the next 22 months, he posted 34 times on the forum, describing himself as a "community college student with no tech background" eager to help with activism.
His online footprint, spanning Substack, Instagram, and Discord accounts linked to him, shows a progression from concerned advocacy to fatalistic urgency. He shared articles with headlines like "AI might let you die to save itself" and wrote on Discord in November 2025: "We owe it to everyone... to be stronger than that and at least die fighting if it comes to that."
The Alleged Attack and a Target List
According to a federal affidavit, surveillance footage captured Moreno-Gama outside Altman's $27 million Russian Hill mansion just after 3:30 a.m. on Friday. He allegedly threw the incendiary device at the home's driveway gate. About 90 minutes later, he arrived at OpenAI's headquarters, struck the glass doors with a chair, and threatened to "burn it down and kill anyone inside."
Police recovered a three-part "anti-AI" note from Moreno-Gama containing a target list with the names and addresses of other AI CEOs, board members, and investors. An FBI official confirmed those individuals have been alerted. PauseAI has condemned the attack and stated Moreno-Gama was banned from its public Discord following his arrest.
A Growing Pattern of Tech-Related Violence
This incident is not isolated. OpenAI locked down its San Francisco office in 2025 after a perceived threat from someone previously associated with an AI protest group. The case also echoes the sympathetic online reactions that followed the arrest of Luigi Mangione, accused of killing UnitedHealthcare's CEO. On posts linked to Moreno-Gama, one comment read: "You are in league with Luigi now."
The attack occurs amid significant public distrust of the AI industry. A recent Bentley University poll of 5,458 Americans found 78% did not trust companies to use AI responsibly. In a blog post on the day of the attack, Altman acknowledged "sincere concern about the incredibly high stakes of this technology" and called for de-escalation.
Moreno-Gama remains in custody as legal proceedings begin. The case highlights the volatile intersection of emerging technology, online radicalisation, and mental health, raising complex questions about responsibility and security in the AI age.