Two men from the Inland Empire have been arrested and charged in what federal officials described as a plot to kill government officials and others at the UFC cage-fighting show staged at the White House last weekend.
The two Southern Californians are among five co-conspirators arrested across the country in the murder scheme that authorities said appeared to have been motivated by antigovernment ideology.
Here’s what we know so far about the men and the plot:
Who are they?
Michael Alan Thomas, 32, was arrested in San Bernardino County’s Piñon Hills on Saturday, charged with conspiracy to commit murder, according to officials and records from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Bryan Omar Roa, 24, was arrested the same day about 50 miles south in Riverside County’s Calimesa, also charged with conspiracy to commit murder.
According to the complaint filed in federal court in California, Roa and Thomas had been in touch virtually, but had met up at least once in the last month to practice marksmanship and tactics.
In messages exchanged on an encrypted messaging application called SimpleX, Thomas and Roa communicated in a chatroom titled “Vanguard of the Old Republic,” according to the complaint. There, Thomas told Roa he was “up the hill behind LA,” clarifying he was was Piñon Hills, to which Roa responded that he was in Yucaipa. Yucaipa is located right next to Calimesa, where officials said Roa was arrested.
The two men were linked to the plot about a week before the UFC fight was scheduled, after a relative of an alleged co-conspirator alerted authorities. That co-conspirator, Tycen C. Proper, of Danville, Ohio, identified Roa and Thomas as part of the plot, and shared social media usernames, according to the criminal complaint.
What was the goal of the attack?
Authorities said Thomas admitted to helping plan the attack and encouraging others to take part. In an interview with FBI agents, Thomas allegedly told authorities the aim of this attack and future ones was to create enough chaos to bring about the overthrow of the U.S. government, according to the criminal complaint.
Authorities said he indicated his belief that the U.S. government is run by an elite group of individuals who sacrifice and consume infants. According to the complaint, Thomas also mentioned the disgraced financier Jeffery Epstein, who was accused of sex-trafficking girls and young women, and said Epstein’s associates are now protected by President Trump.
The court filings said that Roa denied any involvement in the conspiracy.
Roa later told authorities that he had planned to attend the UFC event only as a protester, but his vehicle malfunctioned and he had to return home. His family members, however, told law enforcement that Roa said one day they would wake up and he would be gone, and that he intended to travel to Washington, where “something big” would happen.
“Roa’s family members also believed he intended to commit an act of violence during this trip due to his increased time spent shooting his weapons and a noticeable change in behavior including increased anxiety, irritation, and seclusion,” the complaint states.
They were both arrested Saturday, the day before the event on the White House lawn.
FBI agents found firearms, a tactical belt and radios inside Roa’s car. Inside Thomas’ home, investigators described finding a pistol, a hunting rifle, an AR-style rifle and several 30-round ammunition magazines.
What about the plot?
According to court records, co-conspirators allegedly discussed using drones to drop explosives on the north side of the White House to create panic and funnel event attendees toward locations where they would have snipers ready to kill certain high-value targets.
Federal agents became aware of the alleged plot June 10, four days before the UFC fight, after Proper’s mother reported concerns about her son’s recent conduct, including firearms purchases and communications with people online, kickstarting the investigation, according to the criminal complaint.
When officers arrived at Proper’s residence that night, another family member told the police that Proper was planning to leave the upcoming weekend to meet with online individuals and said he had also recently acquired camping gear, food, ballistic plates for body armor, a new shotgun, a rifle, “lots” of ammunition, extra magazines and plate carriers.
Proper was taken to a hospital, the complaint said, where law enforcement submitted an application for an emergency admission based on his homicidal ideations. The next day, the FBI searched Proper’s home and found a journal in which he wrote about the government seeking to control people and sacrifice children and others to a demonic figure.
Who where the targets?
Authorities said the journal contained a list of about 46 names, which included celebrities and politicians. When authorities searched his iPhone, “investigators observed chats on Signal groups that laid out detailed plans to conduct an attack in Washington, D.C., with several unidentified co-conspirators,” according to the complaint.
“In those chats, law enforcement saw detailed imagery of the National Capitol Region and maps of the area with different potential sniper locations highlighted, potential drone launch locations identified, and other detailed tactical planning locations,” the complaint states.
When FBI investigators interviewed Proper at the mental health center, he allegedly admitted to planning a coordinated attack against the government that would occur during UFC Freedom 250.
Where does the case stand now?
The two men arrested in Southern California made their initial appearances in U.S. District Court in Riverside on Monday and were ordered jailed without bond. Roa’s arraignment is scheduled for July 7. Thomas’ arraignment is scheduled for July 21.
Roa and Thomas are both being held in San Bernardino County jail, according to jail records.
The cases against Proper, 19, remains ongoing, as do the cases against the two other alleged co-conspirators: Daniel K. Eskridge, 32, of Kidder, Miss., and Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, 31, of Omaha.
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