Five charged in alleged White House UFC attack plot

Federal authorities have charged five men with plotting to attack a UFC event at the White House using explosive-laden drones and snipers, a plan prosecutors say was designed to kill government officials and other “high value targets” as crowds fled the South Lawn.

The Justice Department said Tuesday that the FBI and law enforcement partners disrupted the alleged plot before it could be carried out at Sunday’s invite-only UFC “Freedom 250” event. The men were arrested in Ohio, Missouri, Nebraska and California and each was charged with conspiracy to commit murder.

“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. “We will take immediate and aggressive action to identify and prosecute those who incite and plan acts of violence.”

The suspects were identified as Tycen C. Proper, 19, who was arrested in Ohio; Bryan Omar Roa, 24, and Michael Alan Thomas, 32, of California; Daniel K. Eskridge, 32, of Missouri; and Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, 31, of Nebraska. If convicted of conspiracy to murder, each faces up to life in prison and a $250,000 fine, the Justice Department said.

Prosecutors said the group planned to deploy drones armed with explosives in and around the event to force an evacuation, then use snipers to fire on “high value targets” in the fleeing crowd. Court documents cited by the BBC said a “second wave” of attackers was then allegedly supposed to storm the White House gate. The filings also said the suspects distributed maps of Washington marking planned sniper positions, drone launch points and power grids as possible targets.

The event drew about 4,300 people to the South Lawn, with another 85,000 able to watch nearby, the BBC reported. Court filings in Alvarez’s case said the group discussed possible targets including President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Elon Musk, as well as several elected officials, though not all attended the event.

Authorities said the investigation began after Proper’s mother contacted local officials late on June 10, days before the event, because she was worried about his large firearms purchases and online communications with a group that claimed to include former military members and to be Christian-based. Prosecutors said members had “expressed ultra-religious and antigovernment sentiments.”

During an FBI interview on June 11, Proper admitted taking part in planning the attack, according to court documents. He said the group began communicating around March through a TikTok group called “Vanguard of the Old,” also identified in some filings as “Vanguard of the Old Republic.” Prosecutors said vetted members later moved to Signal, where a main chat included about 19 people and smaller chats were organized by roles or locations.

The Justice Department said Alvarez was responsible for planning, organizing and directing the planned UFC attack and worked on drones. Prosecutors said Thomas described a four-tiered operation, with the top group possibly breaking the law and going into hiding, and a lower tier made up of funders, influencers and others.

“Allegedly planned attacks were stopped cold,” FBI Director Kash Patel posted Tuesday on social media, describing a “multi-state operation.” Secret Service Deputy Director Matt Quinn later called the alleged plot a “serious threat” but said the case was ongoing. “In order to maintain the integrity of the investigation and the security plan, we chose not to leak it,” he said.

MSNOW reported that Patel’s social media announcement angered Secret Service officials because about 10 suspects had not yet been arrested. Quinn told reporters: “I’ll tell you the Secret Service led that investigation from the beginning; I’ll tell you that it’s ongoing.”

Asked about the alleged plot during the G7 summit in France, Trump said: “I haven’t heard about it.” A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 29.