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FBI Director Kash Patel described the group as a radical anti-government faction with pro-Palestinian and anti-capitalist leanings.
“The subjects self-identified as members of a radical offshoot of the Turtle Island Liberation Front, an extremist group motivated by pro-Palestinian, anti-law-enforcement, and anti-government ideology,” Patel said.²
The terror plot was coordinated via encrypted Signal messages under the alias “Order of the Black Lotus.” Investigators also discovered posters at Carroll’s residence proclaiming, “DEATH TO ICE” and “DEATH TO AMERICA, LONG LIVE TURTLE ISLAND & PALESTINE.”³
Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed that the suspects also intended to target ICE agents and vehicles. FBI surveillance caught them assembling bomb materials in the desert on December 12, but law enforcement intervened before a functional device could be completed.⁴
Paris Cancels Iconic Champs-Élysées Celebration
Across the Atlantic, Paris officials announced they would scrap the famed New Year’s Eve concert on the Champs-Élysées for the first time in decades, citing extreme security concerns.
Mayor Jeanne d’Hauteserre of the 8th Arrondissement told Agence France Press the decision stemmed from fears over “unpredictable crowds” in spaces “not sized to host this type of event where people are moving.”⁵
France’s Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau confirmed that six terrorist attacks had been thwarted in the country in 2025 alone.
“When you read the propaganda of terrorist groups, Christmas markets are targets as are law enforcement officers, as are places of worship of the Jewish community, as are a number of public institutions,” Retailleau said.⁶
Conservative critics denounced the cancellation as capitulation to fear. Retailleau declared, “Unfortunately, in France, there is such a turn toward savagery that everything becomes a pretext for violence.”⁷
A police commissioner described the immense security challenge: “Last year, we had more scares in two hours of New Year’s Eve celebrations on the Champs-Élysées than in three weeks of the Olympic Games.”⁸
Paris will air a pre-recorded concert with a controlled audience, replacing the live event that once drew nearly a million spectators.
Tokyo and Belgrade Follow Suit
Tokyo canceled the famous Shibuya Countdown, while Belgrade abandoned its New Year’s festivities entirely. Shibuya Ward Mayor Ken Hasebe cited the danger of “nuisance behavior arising from drinking on the street, as well as the risk of crowd accidents.”⁹
Sydney Attack Sparks Global Alarm
These cancellations follow a deadly ISIS-inspired attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on December 14, where gunmen targeted approximately 1,000 Jewish Hanukkah celebrants, killing 15. Police neutralized one attacker and critically wounded another.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called it “a targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah, which should be a day of joy, a celebration of faith, an act of evil, anti-semitism, terrorism that has struck the heart of our nation.”¹⁰
Investigators discovered homemade ISIS flags and improvised explosives in the suspects’ vehicle. The victims ranged from a 10-year-old girl to an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor. Police identified the perpetrators as 50-year-old Sajid Akram and his 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram, who reportedly received militant training in the southern Philippines.¹¹
The Global Fallout
FBI Director Patel highlighted the disturbing pattern: the Los Angeles terror plot coincided with the same period as the Sydney attack, underscoring a growing international threat.
Western cities now face the grim reality that public New Year’s Eve celebrations have become potential targets for terrorist violence. Decades of lax border policies and weakened law enforcement have created a security environment where peaceful holidays are endangered.
President Trump, in contrast, moved quickly to designate gangs and cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and reinforced border security during his administration.
When Paris abandons live celebrations, Tokyo restricts its countdown, and Americans wonder if Times Square could be next, terrorists are winning by default. The solution is clear: secure borders, deport violent extremists, and rebuild law enforcement — or resign to celebrating New Year’s Eve behind locked doors while extremists plot anew.
