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Law enforcement officials disrupted a plot to attack the Ultimate Fighting Championship event at the White House this 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.
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Five people have been arrested so far in states across the country, and have been charged with crimes including conspiracy to commit murder. Investigators recovered firearms, ammunition and encrypted text messages of 19 suspected participants who shared maps and photos of the area and who talked about the need for escape routes after the attack, according to court documents.
Some of the suspects espoused fringe conspiracy theories and made anti-semitic remarks and their families had raised concerns about their recent actions, law enforcement said.
Fox News first reported the suspected plot.
The news of the plot comes as a string of acts of political violence and attempted attacks have rocked the country in recent years. In April, a man allegedly armed with guns and knives ran through a security checkpoint at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. The suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to assassinate the president.
Lawmakers too, are facing a spike in threats. The U.S. Capitol Police said they investigated nearly 15,000 “concerning statements, behaviors, and communications” targeting lawmakers, their families, staff or the Capitol last year. The prior year, police investigated more than 9,000 potential threats.
When asked at the Group of Seven summit in France about the 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 on June 10, four days before the mixed martial arts party on the White House South Lawn, according to a post on X by FBI Director Kash Patel Tuesday. “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.
In a statement on X, Secret Service Director Sean Curran said 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 would be made through court filings, he said.
There was an enormous, 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.
The mixed martial arts extravaganza saw 14 fighters compete 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 19-year-old Tycen Proper, who was apprehended in Ohio where they found thousands of rounds of ammunition and weapons. His mother called local police to express concerns about her son due to “recent conduct,” including firearms purchases and communications with “random” individuals 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 allegedly found thousands of rounds of ammunition, an assault-style rifle, and a bullpup rifle — purchased on June 5 — painted with an American flag.
The sheriff’s office then took Proper to a local 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 his arrest, he identified the usernames of people in encrypted group chats, law enforcement said.
Federal authorities also arrested 32-year-old Missouri man Daniel Eskridge, charging him with conspiracy to commit murder after searching his home over the weekend. According to chats reviewed by the FBI, Eskridge told members he was preparing his garage to serve as their “safe house” and was building a “bunker” under the floorboards of his shed.
Another suspect, Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez shared a screenshot that listed potential individuals for the group to target, including “1,” who the FBI says they believe is “likely identifiable with President Trump,” “2,” who the FBI says they believe is “likely referring to Vice President JD Vance,” “N,” who they believe was “referring to Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,” and “Musk,” referring to Elon Musk.
Attorneys for Eskridge and Alvarez did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Two additional men from California, Bryan Omar Roa and Michael Alan Thomas, were arrested Saturday and charged with conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the plot after their homes were searched and evidence was found proving their involvement, authorities said.
Roa’s family believed he intended to commit an act of violence during this trip because he’d 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.
Tom Winter is NBC’s National Law Enforcement and Intelligence Correspondent.
Tom Winter is NBC’s National Law Enforcement and Intelligence Correspondent.
Megan Lebowitz is a politics reporter for NBC News.
Gary Grumbach is an NBC News legal affairs reporter, based in Washington, D.C.
Michael Kosnar is the Justice Department Producer for NBC News.
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