Authorities intercepted a plot to attack the Ultimate Fighting Championship event held outside the White House over the weekend, according to court papers made public Tuesday that described plans to fly explosive-loaded drones over the crowd, set them off and gun down fleeing attendees.
In the court papers, authorities alleged that plotters communicated in some detail about plans to attack the event, singled out specific officials they hoped to target and mapped out locations for launching drones and escape routes.
It was not immediately clear how close the alleged plot came to reality or how many people authorities believe may have been involved. The Justice Department said Tuesday that five people had been arrested in four states — California, Missouri, Nebraska and Ohio — and that the investigation was ongoing.
News of the alleged plot broke into public view Tuesday morning when FBI Director Kash Patel posted on social media that “multiple individuals” had been taken into custody in connection with a “potential threat” to the UFC event, which was held outside the White House and attended by President Donald Trump and other officials in his administration.
Following “a multi-state operation,” Patel wrote, the “allegedly planned attacks were stopped cold.” The White House declined to comment further Tuesday, UFC did not immediately respond to a request for comment and the FBI referred questions to Patel’s social media post.
Matthew C. Quinn, deputy director of the Secret Service, told reporters Tuesday morning that the event “was never at risk due to the great investigative work.”
But he cautioned that some suspects were still at large. And after Patel’s social media post revealed the alleged plot, Quinn pointedly noted that the Secret Service had chosen not to “leak” news of the investigation.
Details about the alleged plans were later laid out in court filings.
A criminal complaint filed Monday in federal court in Ohio and unsealed Tuesday depicted plans to carry out “a coordinated attack against the United States government” during the UFC event.
The complaint alleges that Tycen Proper, 19, admitted to plotting the attack with people who began communicating via TikTok, a social media app, before shifting to Signal, an encrypted messaging app.
Proper has been arrested and is in custody. An assistant public defender appointed to represent him did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Tuesday. Attempts to reach his parents Tuesday were unsuccessful.
According to an affidavit submitted with the complaint, Proper’s mother contacted law enforcement because she was alarmed by his recent actions, including buying guns “and communicating with certain individuals online.”
The affidavit was signed by Christopher S. Betts, who wrote that he is a Columbus, Ohio, police detective assigned to an FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force.
Betts wrote that police went to the home where Proper lives with his parents on Wednesday, four days before the UFC event. Proper’s father told them that his son had recently gotten new firearms and ammunition and was planning to meet up with the people he met online during the upcoming weekend, Betts wrote.
The local sheriff’s office took Proper to a local hospital and sought an “emergency admission based on homicidal ideations,” Betts continued. The sheriff’s office also called the FBI.
Betts said that he spoke with Proper’s mother the next day and that she said her son had been interacting with people online “who claimed to be ex-military and Christian-based.” Proper’s mother said the group had anti-government beliefs, Betts continued, and had expressed grievances dealing with the handling of files related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and data centers.
She also described seeing her son mapping an area outside D.C., Betts added. And he wrote that family members told investigators Proper had made “concerning statements” in recent months, including antisemitic rhetoric and sympathetic remarks about Adolf Hitler.
Investigators spoke to Proper on Thursday, and he admitted to planning to attack people at the UFC event, Betts said. He wrote that Proper described plans for members of the plot to meet in Fredericksburg, Virginia, south of D.C., and then “stage a demonstration” near the White House.
According to Betts, Proper said he was not going to the event to shoot people but reported that some other members of the group were intending to carry out violence.
Proper described plans to send drones “laden with unspecified explosive devices” over the north side of the UFC arena, Betts wrote. Then the group planned to shoot attendees fleeing the explosions, including “wealthy people and politicians,” Betts said. He wrote that Proper said the attack was meant to start a revolution.
When investigators searched Proper’s phone, Betts said, they found chats on Signal “consistent with much of what” he had described. The phone showed a large chat with about 19 people and smaller groups with four to five people, Betts added. In another app, Betts wrote, Proper discussed targeting a U.S. senator because of her support for Israel.
Officials also charged 24-year-old Bryan Omar Roa and 32-year-old Michael Alan Thomas, both of California; 32-year-old Daniel K. Eskridge of Missouri; and 31-year-old Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez of Nebraska.
Proper is accused of conspiring to commit an offense against the United States and attempting to murder an officer or employee of the United States, among other offenses. Roa, Thomas, Eskridge and Alvarez are all accused of conspiracy to commit murder. Alvarez is also accused of conspiring to commit an offense against the United States.
An attorney for Alvarez declined to comment Tuesday. Attorneys for Eskridge did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It could not be determined Tuesday afternoon whether Roa and Thomas had attorneys.
In the complaint filed in Nebraska against Alvarez, an FBI special agent wrote in the affidavit that officials found information on Proper’s phone that led them to Alvarez.
The agent wrote that in a Signal chat on Proper’s phone, a user with the handle “Shepherd” posted messages telling others where to position themselves, what routes to take to escape and mentioned specific targets. The FBI believes Shepherd was Alvarez, the agent wrote.
In the complaint for Eskridge, another FBI special agent wrote that he had also communicated with Proper and others about the plot. The agent said Eskridge and others discussed potential targets, including taking aim at the power grid.
The complaint for Roa and Thomas includes an affidavit from an FBI special agent who said both spoke with law enforcement officials.
During Roa’s interview, the agent wrote, he admitted attempting to drive to D.C. to protest the UFC event “but disclaimed any involvement in the conspiracy.” The agent said Roa seemed “privy to the operational details” of the alleged plot and that his relatives “believed he intended to commit an act of violence” in D.C.
Thomas, the agent wrote, told investigators that he viewed himself as a “planner and advisor” who wanted to guide others through carrying out attacks meant to overthrow the U.S. government.
The agent wrote that Thomas expressed conspiracy theories and made anti-Semitic comments. Thomas said he believes a group of Epstein-affiliated elites who kill and eat infants run the government, the agent wrote, and blames some of the corruption on Jewish people.
Trump, speaking to reporters Tuesday in France where he is attending the Group of Seven summit, said he had not previously heard about the alleged plot.
“The attack that I watched were the fighters,” Trump said.
Speaking with reporters Tuesday, Quinn, the Secret Service’s deputy director, described the alleged plot as “unique” because of the number of people and the level of planning involved.
He said the Secret Service had led the investigation from the start.
“In order to maintain the integrity of the investigation and the security plan, we chose not to leak it,” he added.
Pressed on whether he was suggesting Patel or the FBI had jumped the gun by divulging details of the investigation, Quinn said he was “not going to comment on who or what.”
“I’m going to tell you that we, the Secret Service, made a conscious decision to maintain the integrity of the security plan and the ongoing investigation,” he said.
The FBI did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday about Quinn’s remarks.
Patel has been criticized in the past for posting prematurely on social media about ongoing investigations, including when he announced last year that someone was in custody after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was killed. The person was soon released.
The UFC event at the White House Sunday was an unprecedented spectacle designed to mark America’s 250th anniversary and Trump’s 80th birthday. It was run by UFC CEO Dana White, a close Trump friend, and the president and the first lady sat in the front row to watch the fights.
The event included two flyovers and a fireworks finale near the National Mall well after midnight. The Federal Aviation Administration implemented a ground stop at the region’s three airports during the fireworks Sunday “to ensure safety.”
Sammy Westfall, Aaron Schaffer and Dan Diamond contributed to this report.
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