Feds Say Thwarted UFC Attack Involved Snipers and Exploding Drones

Federal authorities said Tuesday they disrupted an alleged plot to use drones, explosives and snipers to kill politicians and other attendees at the UFC fight held over the weekend on the White House lawn, thwarting a group of would-be attackers several days before the event.

Officials said five people were in custody as of Tuesday morning and that authorities were still investigating a network of possible coconspirators spanning multiple states who allegedly discussed plans over a group chat to carry out mass violence at the event.

Though court documents indicate that the alleged plot was still in planning stages when the arrests were made, officials said the threat was serious and that the search for at-large suspects was ongoing.

“We’re going to work it until everyone’s been identified,” Secret Service Deputy Director Matthew Quinn told reporters. “We’re going to take every threat on its face. If you say you’re going to do it, we’re going to believe it until we can prove otherwise.”

The disclosure of the investigation into the alleged plot, which was first reported by Fox News and promoted on social media by FBI Director Kash Patel, appeared to create tension between the Secret Service and FBI.

When Quinn was asked about the operation Tuesday morning at the scene of an unrelated shooting in Washington, he told reporters that the service had “led that investigation from the beginning” and that “some of what you read this morning is accurate.”

“In order to maintain the integrity of the investigation and the security plan, we chose not to leak it,” he said.

Patel said in a post on X that “thanks to the rapid action of this 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.”

A statement by Secret Service Director Sean Curran was more muted, saying that the protective agency’s “comments regarding the specifics of this case will be made through court filings.”

An FBI spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The cage match on the South Lawn of the White House, dubbed UFC Freedom 250, drew tens of thousands of spectators the night of June 14 and involved months of security planning from the Secret Service, D.C. police, FBI and other law enforcement agencies.

Law enforcement officials said the event – held in advance of the nation’s 250th anniversary as well as on President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday– received one of the federal government’s highest security designations and required extraordinary vigilance due to the popularity of mixed martial arts and the size and scope of the gathering, which featured a 4,000-person arena constructed on the White House grounds.

Officials were particularly concerned about potential drone incursions and “lone wolf” attacks on the event, though they did not publicly disclose any credible threats in the days leading up to the fight.

Those arrested in the alleged plot to attack the event included Tycen Proper, a 19-year-old man from Knox County, Ohio. He was charged in federal court with conspiracy, attempted murder of an officer or employee of the United States, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and receipt of a firearm used to commit a felony.

A public defender assigned to Proper did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Proper has not entered a plea. Court records show a detention hearing is set for Wednesday afternoon, followed by a preliminary hearing on June 29.

Authorities arrested Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez in Nebraska on charges of conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States in connection with the alleged plot.

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, a Republican, said the suspect was one of the “key ringleaders” of the alleged plot and called his arrest a “timely example that violent extremists can be lurking anywhere.”

A public defender for Alvarez declined to comment.

Authorities also charged 24-year-old Bryan Roa and 32-year-old Michael Alan Thomas, both of California, and 32-year-old Daniel Eskridge, of Missouri. It was not immediately clear if the suspects had entered pleas.

According to the charges against Proper, investigators learned about the alleged plot on June 10 when his mother called local police to their home.

Proper’s parents told officers that he had spent about $3,000 of his graduation money on weapons, ammunition and other equipment, and had talked with people online about possible “missions” and “recons,” the complaint states.

During the visit, family members turned over thousands of rounds of ammunition, ammunition magazines and two rifles to officers, according to the complaint. That night, court papers say, sheriff’s deputies took Proper to a local hospital where was admitted for “homicidal ideations.”

Proper’s mother told investigators that her son had joined an online group with people who claimed to be former military and “Christian-based,” according to the complaint. She said members “expressed ultra-religious and anti-government” sentiments, including grievances about corruption, the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and “data centers taking up all the water in communities.”

When she asked her son about the group’s communications, he allegedly mentioned scouting locations for “hit-and-run missions,” which she took to mean shootings, according to the complaint. Family members also told investigators Proper had made sympathetic comments about Adolf Hitler and posted anti-Semitic comments on Facebook, the complaint says.

Proper admitted to planning an attack on the UFC event during a June 11 interview with investigators at the medical facility where he was housed, according to the complaint. He said the alleged conversations began in March 2026 in a TikTok group called “Vanguard of the Old,” whose members, he said, believed the United States “needed to be torn down so that it could be rebuilt,” the complaint says. Some members later moved their conversations to the encrypted Signal app.

Proper allegedly told investigators that the group planned to rendezvous in Fredericksburg, Virginia, the weekend of the fight, then drive to Washington and stage a demonstration near the White House. The idea was to fly drones equipped with “unspecified explosive devices” to detonate over the fight arena and force a sudden evacuation, the complaint says.

“PROPER stated that the plan was for members of his group to act as snipers and additional shooters, preferably with long guns, staged at or near the southern evacuation point to conduct shootings of the members of the crowd,” the complaint says.

Their “high-value” targets allegedly included wealthy guests and members of Congress, among them Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee); Proper allegedly said he wanted to attack her because of her support for Israel.

In a statement on social media, Blackburn thanked the FBI for stopping the alleged plot, saying that it was “incredibly chilling that this suspect named me as a potential target along with other lawmakers.”

Investigators said a search of Proper’s phone confirmed much of what he described in the interview. The Signal group consisted of about 19 people, with smaller groups of four or five people broken up based on assignments or locations, according to the complaint.

The chat included detailed images and maps of downtown Washington, with potential sniper and drone locations highlighted. Conversations also allegedly took place on the encrypted messaging application SimpleX, investigators said.

Proper told investigators that he originally learned of an anti-government protest in Washington from a TikTok user named Shepherd, according to a criminal complaint in Alvarez’s case.

In one Signal chat titled “Hunters,” investigators said Shepherd appeared to be directing other members on where snipers and drone operators should position themselves during the attack, the complaint said.

Investigators said the user flagged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who did not attend the event, as a potential target, along with Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Elon Musk. The user also allegedly discussed purchasing drones and rigging explosives.

On June 13, FBI domestic terrorism agents traced the TikTok account to an address associated with Alvarez in Omaha, Nebraska, according to the complaint.

Proper told investigators that the attack was designed to “jumpstart” a revolution in the United States.