WASHINGTON — Law enforcement officials disrupted a plot to attack the Ultimate Fighting Championship event at the White House over the weekend, according to court papers unsealed Tuesday that say the conspirators discussed flying drones loaded with explosives over the event and then shooting into the fleeing crowd.
Five people have been arrested across the country and charged with conspiracy to commit murder, among other counts. Investigators recovered firearms, ammunition and encrypted text messages of 19 people suspected to have taken part, who shared maps and photos of the area and who talked about the need for escape routes after the attack, according to court documents.
The investigation is ongoing.
Some of the suspects espoused fringe conspiracy theories and made antisemitic remarks, and their families had raised concerns about their recent actions, law enforcement said.
Fox News first reported the suspected plot.
A string of acts of political violence and attempted attacks has rocked the country in recent years. In April, a man alleged to be armed with guns and knives ran through a security checkpoint at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. The suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, pleaded not guilty to attempting to assassinate the president.
Lawmakers, too, face a spike in threats. U.S. Capitol Police said they investigated nearly 15,000 “concerning statements, behaviors, and communications” targeting lawmakers, their families, staff members or the Capitol last year. The previous year, police investigated more than 9,000 potential threats.
Asked at the Group of Seven summit in France about the alleged foiled plot, President Donald Trump said, “I haven’t heard about it.”
“The attack that I watched was the fighters,” he added.
Law enforcement learned about the threat Wednesday, four days before the mixed martial arts party on the White House South Lawn, FBI Director Kash Patel said Tuesday on X. “And thanks to the rapid action of the FBI, our partners, and the Department of Justice in a multi-state operation, multiple individuals are now in custody and allegedly planned attacks were stopped cold,” Patel wrote.
Secret Service Director Sean Curran said in a statement on X that his agency “worked closely with the FBI throughout this investigation.”
“In the days leading up to this weekend, our special agents, mission support personnel, and technical security teams worked around the clock to identify those responsible and hold them accountable,” Curran wrote. “Equally important to our protective mission is ensuring accountability through the justice system.”
The Secret Service’s “formal comments” on plot details will be made through court filings, he said.
There was an enormous and visible law enforcement presence in and around the White House complex over the weekend. Law enforcement officials blocked off roads, used fencing to control crowds and deployed hundreds of federal, state and local officers to the crowd of thousands at or near the White House.
Fourteen fighters competed underneath a 92-foot structure called “The Claw” that was set up just steps away from the most important office in the world.
It was all to mark Trump’s 80th birthday and America’s 250th anniversary.
Among those arrested was Tycen Proper, 19, who was apprehended in Ohio, where authorities found thousands of rounds of ammunition and weapons. His mother called local police to express concerns about her son because of “recent conduct,” including firearms purchases and communications with “random” people online, according to court documents.
He was in custody, and his lawyer didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Proper’s family also said he recently made “concerning statements,” including “making sympathetic comments about Adolf Hitler and posting anti-Semitic comments on Facebook.”
When the Knox County sheriff’s officers arrived at the family home, they found thousands of rounds of ammunition, an assault-style rifle and a bullpup rifle — purchased June 5 — painted with an American flag, authorities said.
The sheriff’s office took Proper to a hospital for emergency admission “based on homicidal ideations,” FBI task force officer Christopher Betts wrote in court documents.
The next day, the sheriff’s office contacted the FBI.
Proper’s mother told law enforcement that her son had “recently begun interacting with a group online that was comprised of individuals who claimed to be ex-military and Christian-based,” according to court documents.
After he was arrested, he identified the usernames of people in encrypted group chats, law enforcement said.
Federal authorities also arrested Daniel Eskridge, 32, of Missouri, charging him with conspiracy to commit murder after they searched his home over the weekend. According to chats reviewed by the FBI, Eskridge told members he was preparing his garage to be their “safe house” and was building a “bunker” under the floorboards of his shed.
Another suspect, Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, is accused of sharing a screenshot that listed potential people for the group to target, including “1,” who the FBI says it believes is “likely identifiable with President Trump”; “2,” who the FBI says it believes is “likely referring to Vice President JD Vance”; “N,” who it believes was “referring to Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu”; and “Musk,” referring to Elon Musk.
Attorneys for Eskridge and Alvarez didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
Two men from California, Bryan Omar Roa and Michael Alan Thomas, were arrested Saturday and charged with conspiracy to commit murder after their homes were searched and evidence was found establishing their involvement, authorities said.
It wasn’t clear yet whether Roa and Thomas had attorneys.
Roa’s family believed he intended to commit an act of violence during the trip because he had been increasingly shooting his weapons and there had been a marked change in his behavior, according to court documents.
“Family members also stated that within the last three months, Roa began spending more time with a new group of online friends,” FBI Special Agent Mark Prator said in court documents.
