SAN FRANCISCO — The man accused of trying to kill OpenAI CEO Sam Altman by throwing a Molotov cocktail at his San Francisco home is set to make an initial court appearance Tuesday.

Daniel Moreno-Gama, of Spring, Texas, traveled to San Francisco last week and hurled the incendiary device at Altman’s home Friday, setting an exterior gate on fire before fleeing on foot, authorities said. Less than an hour later, Moreno-Gama went to OpenAI’s headquarters about 3 miles (5 kilometers) away and threatened to burn down the building, they said.

No one was injured at Altman’s home or the company’s offices.

Authorities said Moreno-Gama, 20, expressed hatred of artificial intelligence in his writings, describing it as a danger to humanity and warning of “impending extinction,” according to court filings.

“This was not spontaneous. This was planned, targeted and extremely serious,” FBI San Francisco Acting Special Agent in Charge Matt Cobo said during a news conference Monday.

Moreno-Gama is charged in California state court with two counts of attempted murder and attempted arson, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said. He tried to kill both Altman and a security guard at Altman’s residence, she alleged. Officials have not said whether Altman was home at the time.

Online state court records do not yet show whether Moreno-Gama has an attorney who can speak on his behalf.

Jenkins said the state charges carry penalties ranging from 19 years to life in prison.

On Monday morning, FBI agents went to Moreno-Gama’s home in a Houston suburb where they spent several hours before leaving. He has also been charged by federal prosecutors with possession of an unregistered firearm and damage and destruction of property by means of explosives. Those charges carry respective penalties of up to 10 years and 20 years in prison.

“We will treat this as an act of domestic terrorism, and together with our partners, prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law,” U.S. Attorney Craig Missakian said when announcing the federal charges Monday.

The federal court documents do not list an attorney for Moreno-Gama, and he has not yet had his first appearance in federal court.

The document in which Moreno-Gama discussed his opposition to AI also made threats against Altman and executives at other AI companies, officials said.

“If I am going to advocate for others to kill and commit crimes, then I must lead by example and show that I am fully sincere in my message,” Moreno-Gama wrote, according to authorities.

Advocacy groups that have issued grave warnings about AI’s risks to society condemned the violence.

Anthony Aguirre, president and CEO of the Future of Life Institute, said in a written statement Friday that “violence and intimidation of any kind have no place in the conversation about the future of AI.”

Another group, PauseAI, said in a statement that the suspect had no role in the group but joined its forum on the social media platform Discord about two years ago and posted about 34 messages there, none containing explicit calls to violence but one that was flagged as “ambiguous.”

Discord said Monday that it has banned Moreno-Gama for “off-platform behavior.”

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. – When Makayla Rene Settles turned 18, she left Raleigh, North Carolina, for a fresh start. She moved to Moorpark, California, to live with her biological father, Stephen Vincent Chavez, with plans to attend college and build a new life. Two days after she arrived, her family says she called terrified and asking for help.

“It was just the fear in her voice, her crying. I didn’t need details. I knew something was wrong, and I said, ‘I’m on the way,’” said Carolina Sandoval, Makayla’s mother.

Carolina says she rushed to Chavez’s home. When she saw her daughter, she was devastated.

“She’s barely walking,” Carolina said. “My brother picks her up and hugs her.”

Makayla was taken to a hospital, where a rape kit was performed. According to the family, the results came back positive for Stephen Vincent Chavez’s DNA. He was arrested that same night and charged with incest, taking advantage of a position of trust, and providing alcohol to a minor.

Her cousin, Crystal Sandoval, was in disbelief. She said, “I was screaming, I was crying. I just kept thinking, why would he do that to her? This is something she could not come back from.”

Crystal was right. Five months later, Makayla Rene Settles died by suicide.

“If I’m being honest, it feels like I handed my daughter to the devil,” said Carolina.

On the night Makayla was taken to the hospital, Sandoval says Chavez sent her a text message. It read, “I’m never drinking liquor again. I don’t want that blackout to happen again.”

Now, the family says they’ve been dealt another devastating blow. According to Crystal Sandoval, the Ventura County DA’s Office has told them the case may not go to trial because Makayla is no longer alive to testify.

“The DA was essentially saying, ‘We don’t know if we have a case because she’s no longer here,’ and when she told me that, I immediately said, ‘No, we’re not going to let that slide,’” said Crystal.

Determined to get justice, Crystal took to social media. Her videos went viral, drawing widespread outrage and prompting hundreds to promise to show up to Chavez’s next court hearing, scheduled for April 21 at the Ventura County Courthouse.

“It was like he took her sunshine away and just kind of broke her soul,” Crystal said.

The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office issued the following statement:

“We have seen the posts online and want to let the public know that our Sexual Assault Unit continues to prosecute the defendant for this extremely serious crime. This case has been filed since July 2025, when the evidence supported the filing of felony charges. As with any case, prosecutors filed charges based on the evidence. The court sets bail. Our office successfully moved to increase bail to $250K in July 2025 when the case was filed. The defendant requested that bail be reduced, but we successfully argued against that. The defendant has since posted $250K bail and is out of custody. With respect to the upcoming hearing, the April 21 date is an early disposition conference. This is a standard pretrial proceeding where the court and parties address the status of the case and set future dates as appropriate.”

Despite that statement, the family says they have already been told a trial is not guaranteed, and they are not backing down. Chavez has pleaded not guilty. His next court hearing is April 21 at 8:30 a.m. in Courtroom 14 at the Ventura County Courthouse.

Republican Gov. candidate Steve Hilton joins CNN’s Dana Bash after one of his opponents, Rep. Eric Swalwell, exited the California governor’s race amid sexual misconduct allegations. “We desperately need change. And no Democrat can provide that,” Hilton says.