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By John Ogunsemore
A man was arrested early Friday after allegedly throwing an incendiary device at the San Francisco home of OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman and later making threats outside the company’s headquarters, police and OpenAI said.
The San Francisco Police Department said the incident began around 4:00 am local time when the 20-year-old suspect hurled a device later confirmed as a Molotov cocktail at the metal gate of Altman’s residence at 855 Chestnut St. in the Russian Hill neighborhood.
It was unclear if Altman was at home at the time of the incident.
The device started a fire on the exterior gate, but security guards quickly extinguished it and no one was injured, the police statement adds.
The suspect fled on foot.
About an hour later, officers responded to reports of a man making threats outside OpenAI’s offices on Third Street in the Mission Bay neighborhood.
The suspect allegedly threatened to burn down the building.
Responding officers recognized him as the same individual from the earlier attack and arrested him on the spot.
NBC Bay Arena reports that the suspect has been identified as Daniel Alejandro Moreno-Gama.
He was booked into San Francisco County Jail on suspicion of attempted murder, arson, possession or manufacture of an incendiary device and other charges.
OpenAI confirmed the home belongs to Altman and that threats were made at its headquarters.
“Thankfully, no one was hurt,” an OpenAI spokesperson said.
“We deeply appreciate how quickly SFPD responded and the support from the city in helping keep our employees safe.”
The company said it was assisting law enforcement with the investigation.
Although police have not disclosed a motive, the artificial intelligence startup has faced criticism over its move to strike a deal with the U.S. government to let it use its technology in classified military operations, after rival Anthropic and Washington got into a dispute, Reuters reports.
OpenAI’s offices have been the target of attacks in the past.
In November, the company’s headquarters went on lockdown when a man “threatened to go to several OpenAI offices in San Francisco to ‘murder people,’” San Francisco Standard reports.
