A woman charged with planning a bombing in Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve faced the court with a supportive crowd on Friday.
Tina Lai, dressed in a beige prison outfit and shackled, appeared for her arraignment, where she pleaded not guilty.
Her presence was met with smiles from around 15 supporters, who were warned by U.S. Marshals not to make any contact with her. As they left the courtroom, one supporter in a blue tank top blew her a kiss.
The 41-year-old is facing accusations of providing material support to terrorists, as well as possessing an unregistered firearm.
Known also as “Kickware,” Lai was arrested in the Mojave Desert on December 12 along with three accomplices while allegedly preparing to test a bomb-making device.
Sitting next to her attorney Humberto Diaz, Lai confirmed to Judge Rosella Oliver that she understood the charges when prompted. She simply stated “not guilty” in response to the judge’s inquiry about her plea.
A jury trial is set for February 17. After the brief session, Lai told the judge, “Thank you, Your Excellency. I hope you have a happy new year.”
Co-defendants in the alleged plot include the lead suspect, 30-year-old Audrey Irene Carroll, called “Black Moon,” and two transgender individuals, Zachary Aaron Page, 32, and Dante “Nomad” Gaffield, 24. All are currently held without bail.
Authorities claim that the group is affiliated with a far-left extremist organization labeled the “Kame Island Liberation Front.”
The FBI apparently disrupted the planned attack with the help of informants and undercover agents, stating that it aimed to significantly harm tech and logistics companies in the city.
Additionally, the group allegedly plotted to target U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents through shootings and bomb explosions, according to the Justice Department.
“The indictment reflects the seriousness of a planned terrorist act on U.S. soil on New Year’s Eve,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Ezeiri. “If convicted, this self-identified left-wing extremist group could face decades in prison.”
Micah James Regnon, a 29-year-old transgender Marine Corps veteran, was also detained in Louisiana for connection to the conspiracy.
According to court documents, the group communicated via an encrypted chat named “Order of the Black Lotus.” Carroll was said to have taken a leading role in organizing the group and authored several detailed manifestos titled “Operation Midnight Sun.”
The plan included targeting information, how to obtain materials for bomb-making, and strategies to avoid detection.
Carroll reportedly instructed others to place accelerants around explosives to maximize damage.
During a face-to-face discussion on December 7, the suspects discussed their New Year’s Eve plans quite explicitly, as outlined in the indictment.
Page cautioned the group to maintain cleanliness, expressing concerns over FBI surveillance and suggesting ways to avoid leaving traces, like using socks to prevent footprints and burning their shoes afterward.
“What we’re going to do is, oh, it’s going to be a Luigi-level situation,” Carroll allegedly stated, referencing an ongoing trial about a related violent act.
Following the arraignment, Lai’s lawyer declined to comment, and while her supporters chatted outside in light rain, Lai also chose not to engage with the media.
