Suspect arrested after incendiary device thrown at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s home

By Hadas Gold, CNN

(CNN) — A 20-year-old man has been arrested after a Molotov cocktail was thrown at the San Francisco home of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman early Friday morning.

The incident happened around 4:00 am when a suspect “threw an incendiary destructive device” at Altman’s home, “causing a fire to one exterior gate” before fleeing on foot, according to statement from the San Francisco Police Department.

The same suspect then allegedly headed to OpenAI’s offices, where he was “threatening to burn down the building,” according to the statement. SFPD said that “charges are still pending at this time.”

In a statement, a spokesperson for OpenAI confirmed the incidents and said that “no one was hurt.”

Police have not indicated a possible motive behind the attack.

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,’” according to the San Francisco Standard. Protestors have also regularly demonstrated this year outside the ChatGPT maker’s building in the Mission Bay neighborhood of San Francisco.

“We deeply appreciate how quickly SFPD responded and the support from the city in helping keep our employees safe. The individual is in custody, and we’re assisting law enforcement with their investigation,” the OpenAI spokesperson said after Friday’s attack.

The-CNN-Wire
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