Federal authorities arrest 5 in alleged plot against White House UFC event

Federal authorities arrested five men accused of plotting a large-scale attack during the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House on June 14. The scheme reportedly involved explosive-laden drones and rooftop snipers positioned to fire on government officials fleeing the scene.

The UFC Freedom 250 event on the White House South Lawn, which was held to mark President Donald Trump's 80th birthday and the nation's 250th anniversary, proceeded without incident, the Justice Department announced June 16.

The department said charges were filed in four states against Tycen C. Proper, 19, of Danville, Ohio; Bryan Omar Roa, 24, of Calimesa, California; Michael Alan Thomas, 32, of Pinon Hills, California; Daniel K. Eskridge, 32, of Kidder, Missouri; and Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, 31, of Omaha, Nebraska. All five are charged with conspiracy to commit murder, among other offenses. Proper also faces a charge of attempted murder of a federal officer or employee.

Thomas also allegedly told investigators he believed the U.S. government was controlled by elites who "sacrifice and eat children," had ties to Epstein, and were being protected by Trump, according to court documents.

According to court documents, the investigation began June 10 when Proper’s mother contacted local police about her 19-year-old son. She reported concerns about his recent purchases of firearms, ammunition, and ballistic plates, his affiliation with what she described as a Christian extremist group on TikTok, a preoccupation with Jeffrey Epstein and government corruption, online posts expressing sympathy for Adolf Hitler, and statements about conducting "hit and run missions."

When they responded to the family’s home, Knox County sheriff's deputies found thousands of rounds of ammunition and two rifles, one of them painted with an American flag and purchased just days earlier on June 5, the FBI said. Proper was taken to a hospital for emergency admission because of what an FBI task force officer described in court documents as homicidal ideations. The sheriff's office contacted the FBI the following day.

In an interview with investigators June 11, Proper said he and others had planned a coordinated attack on the UFC event intended to "jump-start" a revolution, according to court documents. He said the group began communicating around March before moving discussions to an encrypted messaging application.

Charging documents allege the plan called for small drones loaded with explosives to detonate over the north side of the arena, forcing an evacuation. Co-conspirators would then take sniper positions and shoot "high value targets" in the fleeing crowd. Proper and others allegedly planned to meet in Fredericksburg, Virginia, before the attack.

Proper told investigators he had identified potential targets, including multiple members of Congress, and had amassed firearms, thousands of rounds of ammunition, and tactical gear at his Ohio home, according to court documents.

Investigators said the group discussed targeting Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Elon Musk, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose attendance had been the subject of online rumors but who did not attend. Targeted members of Congress identified in court documents included Republican Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Jim Justice of West Virginia, and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, as well as Reps. Carol Miller and Riley Moore, both of West Virginia.

Alvarez, who investigators say used the moniker "Shepherd" in encrypted chats, was assessed by the FBI as "responsible for planning, organizing, and directing the planned attack." In one message cited in court filings, Shepherd allegedly wrote, "This is the best action I see. Position your teams in the purple dots (counter sniper and drones)." In another, responding to a discussion about building explosive drones, he allegedly wrote, "As many and as deadly as we can get."

Investigators said Alvarez also provided coconspirators with a photo and directions to a safe zone at an old church in Nebraska and identified drone launch points and sniper positions.

In a June 7 message, Thomas allegedly wrote, "$1300 gets us the drones and the charges. Yes we should all pitch in and we need it asap." Thomas also allegedly described operational "tiers" within the group, with Tier One consisting of ground operators, Tier Two of drivers and drone operators, Tier Three of logistical suppliers, and Tier Four of social media influencers.

A June 13 search of Thomas' California home yielded a rifle, extended magazines, 180 rounds of ammunition, and a pistol, according to court documents.

A search of Roa's residence and vehicle yielded a rifle, a handgun, a tactical belt, ammunition, a two-way radio, and an infrared laser target pointer. Family members told investigators they believed he intended to commit an act of violence and said he had spent increasing amounts of time with a new group of online associates over the previous three months and had undergone a marked behavioral change, according to court documents.

Eskridge allegedly told group members he was preparing his garage as a "safe house" and building a bunker beneath the floorboards of a shed, according to court documents. A June 13 search of his Missouri home yielded rifles, a shotgun, a pistol, and tactical gear.

Investigators said they recovered encrypted communications involving about 19 people suspected of participating in the plot, including maps and photographs of the event grounds and discussions of escape routes, according to court documents.

The five defendants face a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted of the murder conspiracy charge. Conspiracy to commit violence on White House grounds carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. 

"The FBI, our law enforcement partners and our U.S. Attorneys did what they do every day to make America safe through quick response and vigilance in investigating, disrupting, and dismantling this alleged plan before it could be carried out," Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a June 16 statement.

FBI Director Kash Patel said authorities became aware of the potential threat June 10 and that the "allegedly planned attacks were stopped cold."

Secret Service Director Sean Curran said his agency "worked closely with the FBI throughout this investigation" and that agents and personnel "worked around the clock to identify those responsible and hold them accountable."

Trump, asked about the alleged plot June 16 at the Group of Seven summit in France, said: "I haven't heard about it. The attack that I watched was the fighters."