The FBI thwarted a plot targeting Sunday’s UFC event at the White House and has arrested five men, the US justice department said on Tuesday.
Part of the plan involved striking nearby buildings with explosive-laden drones and firing on “high value targets,” prosecutors alleged.
One suspect was arrested in Ohio last week, where investigators reviewed encrypted messages involving other alleged conspirators. Prosecutors said in charging documents they had allegedly “expressed ultra-religious and antigovernment sentiments.”
“Allegedly planned attacks were stopped cold,” FBI Director Kash Patel posted on social media on Tuesday about the “multi-state operation.”
The suspects were identified as Tycen C Proper, 19, the suspect arrested in Ohio, along with Bryan Omar Roa, 24, and Michael Alan Thomas, 32, of California, Daniel K Eskridge, 32, of Missouri and Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, 31, of Nebraska. They were arrested across four US states and each have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder, the Department of Justice said in a statement.
By using drones, the plotters aimed to spark panic and draw the fleeing crowd toward a sniper team, according to court documents. A “second wave” of attackers was then allegedly supposed to storm the White House gate.
An estimated 4,300 people were present for the invite-only event on the South Lawn during the back-to-back fights on Sunday.
Court filings said the group allegedly eyed potential targets that included 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.
The plot was discovered through Proper. His mother called local authorities late on June 10, just days before the high-profile event, because she was concerned about his large firearms purchases and what she had seen of his online communication with a group that claimed to be made up of former military members and Christian-based.
The group allegedly wanted to “jumpstart” a revolution by shooting “high-value targets” attending the UFC fight. They had specifically discussed grievances about government corruption, the handling of the Epstein files, data centres taking up water in communities, and other government actions.
“Members of the group believed that the United States needed to be torn down so that it could be rebuilt,” an FBI document said.
During an FBI interview on June 11, Proper admitted to being part of planning the attack and said the group began communicating around March through a TikTok group called “Vanguard of the Old Republic.”
It is unclear if the group is affiliated with any larger, established organisation. But Proper told law enforcement officials that members were primarily recruited through TikTok, with those vetted moving to discussions on Signal, the encrypted messaging app.
Each suspect faces a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted of conspiracy to murder, the DOJ said. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for June 29.
