The FBI has foiled a plot to attack Sunday’s UFC event at the White House, arresting five men across four states, the US Justice Department said Tuesday.
BBC reports that prosecutors alleged the plan involved striking nearby buildings with explosive‑laden drones and firing on “high value targets.”
One suspect was arrested in Ohio last week after investigators reviewed encrypted messages among alleged conspirators. Charging documents said they had expressed “ultra‑religious and antigovernment sentiments.”
“Allegedly planned attacks were stopped cold,” FBI Director Kash Patel posted on social media, describing the arrests as part of a “multi‑state operation.”
The suspects were identified as Tycen C Proper, 19, 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. Each has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder, DOJ said.
Court filings said the group aimed to spark panic by using drones to drive crowds toward a sniper team, followed by a “second wave” storming the White House gate. About 4,300 people attended the invite‑only South Lawn event, with another 85,000 watching nearby.
Documents related to Alvarez said potential targets included US President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Elon Musk, and several elected officials though not all were present at the UFC event.
The plot was uncovered after Proper’s mother alerted authorities on 10 June, concerned about his firearms purchases and online communications with a group claiming to be ex‑military and Christian‑based.
Prosecutors said the group wanted to “jumpstart” a revolution by shooting wealthy individuals and politicians at the fight, citing grievances over government corruption, the Epstein files, and data centers consuming community water. FBI documents noted members believed the US “needed to be torn down so that it could be rebuilt.”
During an FBI interview on 11 June, Proper admitted involvement, saying the group began communicating in March via a TikTok group called “Vanguard of the Old,” also referred to in filings as “Vanguard of the Old Republic.”
He said members were recruited through TikTok, then moved to Signal for encrypted chats. A main chat had about 19 participants, with smaller groups of four to five based on roles or locations.
Thomas allegedly envisioned a four‑tiered structure, with a top group “sacrificing for your country” by breaking laws and going into hiding, down to a fourth tier of funders and influencers.
Other chats allegedly discussed assassinating US lawmakers and business executives, with some lawmakers targeted over perceived ties to pro‑Israel lobbies. Eskridge allegedly described one as “big and someone a majority of the country knows.”
