Texas man charged after alleged firebomb attack on Sam Altman’s home

A 20-year-old Texas man has been charged with attempted murder and arson after allegedly targeting the home of Sam Altman in what authorities describe as a deliberate and dangerous attack.

Daniel Moreno-Gama faces two counts of attempted murder along with nine additional charges linked to last week’s incident in San Francisco, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said on Monday.

“We interpret this behaviour for just what it is: An attempt on Mr Altman’s life and an extreme danger to those around him and those who work for his company,” Jenkins said at a news conference.

“As the DA, my office will prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law.”

The case is also moving forward at the federal level. Prosecutors have charged Moreno-Gama with attempted destruction of property using explosives and possession of an unregistered firearm — counts that could carry a life sentence if convicted.

According to an FBI affidavit, the suspect was captured on surveillance footage throwing a Molotov cocktail at Altman’s home shortly after 3:30am on Friday. Investigators say he then travelled to OpenAI’s headquarters in San Francisco, where he allegedly attacked the building’s glass doors with a chair and threatened to “burn it down and kill anyone inside”.

Police arrested Moreno-Gama at the scene and recovered additional incendiary devices, kerosene, a lighter, and a written document outlining hostility toward artificial intelligence and tech executives, including Altman.

The document, according to investigators, claimed the suspect had killed or attempted to kill Altman and suggested he needed to “lead by example” to demonstrate the seriousness of his views.

The incident lands in the middle of an already heated public debate around artificial intelligence — one that has increasingly moved beyond policy and into broader social tension.

Altman, whose company’s release of ChatGPT in 2022 helped accelerate global adoption of AI, addressed the attack in a blog post, urging a de-escalation in tone.

“While we have that debate, we should de-escalate the rhetoric and tactics and try to have fewer explosions in fewer homes, figuratively and literally,” he said.

Jenkins echoed that concern, warning that public discourse around AI risks crossing a dangerous line.

“In no way should we be at the point where a man could have lost his life over differences of opinion and concerns,” she said.