Federal officials said the FBI disrupted an alleged plan to attack buildings near the UFC Freedom 250 event in Washington, force an evacuation and direct crowds toward a sniper team.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Federal authorities have arrested five people in connection with an alleged plot to attack the UFC Freedom 250 event held at the White House, officials told Fox News Digital.
Investigators said the FBI and law enforcement partners disrupted a plan that allegedly involved explosive-laden drones, a forced mass evacuation and a staged sniper attack near the high-profile event in Washington, D.C. Officials said 23 people were identified as part of a possible network connected to the alleged plot.
The event, held Sunday night on the White House South Lawn as part of President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday weekend, drew an estimated 4,300 attendees. The crowd included about 1,200 active-duty service members. Fourteen fighters from around the world competed inside a wire-mesh cage during the UFC Freedom 250 event.
According to officials, the alleged plan called for drones carrying explosives to strike buildings near the event, triggering an evacuation. Authorities said the plotters allegedly intended to move fleeing crowds toward a pre-positioned sniper team. A “second wave” was then allegedly planned to storm the White House gate.
The FBI first learned of the threat on June 10. Agents worked with law enforcement partners to establish probable cause for an arrest in Cincinnati, where 19-year-old Tycen Proper was taken into custody, according to court documents.
A criminal complaint alleged that Proper used $3,000 of his “graduation money” to buy “lots of” ammunition, guns, extra magazines and other items for the alleged attack. Authorities estimated that several boxes of ammunition allegedly acquired by Proper contained thousands of rounds.
The complaint also alleged that Proper obtained an AR-style rifle, a bullpup rifle painted with an American flag design and two plate carriers with AR-style magazines. His family voluntarily turned the equipment over to law enforcement.
Proper’s father told officers that his son had quit his job to meet people he had encountered online and conduct “missions” and “recons,” according to the complaint. The complaint said Proper’s mother first alerted authorities because she was concerned about his recent firearm purchases and online communications.
Two other suspects, Bryan Omar Roa and Michael Alan Thomas, were arrested in California in connection with the alleged plot. Both were charged with conspiracy to commit murder and appeared in court Monday in Riverside.
Authorities also arrested Daniel K. Eskridge of Kansas City, Missouri, and Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez of Omaha, Nebraska.
Court documents said Eskridge’s wife told investigators that he described himself as a recruiter for the group. She said he had recently accumulated tactical gear, including a rifle, ammunition and other equipment. She also told investigators that he had built a firearms range on his property about three weeks before his arrest.
According to court documents, Eskridge’s wife became aware of his Signal communications because messages appeared on a shared tablet.
Prosecutors said Alvarez used the online name “Shepherd” and served as a key organizer of the alleged plot. Court documents said he used a Signal chat to coordinate staging locations, sniper and drone positions, escape routes and communications protocols.
Alvarez also allegedly discussed working with other groups and encouraged participants to obtain more explosive-capable drones. Prosecutors said he wrote: “As many and as deadly as we can get.”
Multiple sources told Fox News that the suspects in custody are American citizens and that investigators had not identified a foreign connection.
The U.S. Secret Service said it worked closely with the FBI during the 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,” Secret Service Director Sean Curran said in a statement. “Equally important to our protective mission is ensuring accountability through the justice system. To that end, our formal comments regarding the specifics of this case will be made through court filings.”
Investigators later found Signal chats in which multiple people allegedly discussed the planned attack, officials said. An initial review of one suspect’s iPhone identified at least 23 Signal users discussing pre-operational activity.
Some participants allegedly planned to travel to Fredericksburg, Virginia, on June 12 or 13 to prepare for the attack.
One suspect allegedly told investigators that the goal was to target “capitalist elites,” “billionaires” or politicians who received donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
The investigation involved at least 12 FBI field offices. FBI Director Kash Patel credited the FBI, the Department of Justice and law enforcement partners with moving quickly across multiple states to stop the alleged attack.
The alleged plot comes amid heightened concern over political violence and a series of threats and security incidents involving Trump and senior administration officials.
Authorities had not released additional details about other members of the alleged network as of the information provided.
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