Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI Inc., speaks at BlackRock’s 2026 Infrastructure Summit in Washington, DC, USA on Wednesday, March 11, 2026.
Daniel Heuer | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Prosecutors said Tuesday they will ask a San Francisco judge to release a man held without bail on suspicion of attempting to kill OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, saying he poses a “threat to public safety.”
Last week, Daniel Moreno-Gama, 20, of Texas, allegedly threw a lit Molotov cocktail at Altman’s home and threatened to set OpenAI’s headquarters on fire last week, citing his hatred of artificial intelligence technology.
Moreno-Gama is scheduled to be arraigned in San Francisco Superior Court at 4:30 p.m. and is charged with attempted murder, attempted arson, and detonating or igniting a destructive device with intent to kill.
He is also charged separately by federal prosecutors with attempted damage to property with an explosive device and possession of an unregistered firearm.
San Francisco Police Department officers arrested Moreno-Gama on Friday and recovered documents in his possession detailing his intentions, according to a complaint filed Monday in San Francisco federal court.
In the document, Moreno-Gama expressed his purpose in killing Altman and warned of the “imminent extinction” of humanity by AI. The complaint also allegedly lists the names and addresses of several AI executives, board members, and investors.
Altman mentioned the attack on his home in a blog post Friday, calling it an “extremely intense, turbulent and high-pressure few years.”
He shared a photo of his family and called for easing tensions in “rhetoric and tactics” within the AI industry.
“We deeply appreciate SFPD’s quick response and the city’s assistance in keeping our employees safe,” OpenAI said in a statement Friday. “The individual is in custody and we are assisting law enforcement with their investigation.”
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