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FIRST ON FOX: The FBI and its law enforcement partners disrupted an alleged plot targeting this weekend’s UFC Freedom 250 event in Washington, D.C., officials told Fox News Digital.
Five people were in custody as of Monday, and investigators identified 23 people as part of a potential network of plotters. The alleged plan involved using explosive-laden drones to hit buildings near the event, force a mass evacuation and steer crowds toward a pre-staged sniper team, officials said.
A “second wave” was then allegedly planned to storm the White House gate, according to officials.
The FBI first learned of the threat on June 10 and worked with partners to secure probable cause for an arrest in Cincinnati, where one suspect was taken into custody. Court documents identified the suspect as 19-year-old Tycen Proper.
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According to a criminal complaint, Proper allegedly spent $3,000 of his “graduation money” to purchase “lots of” ammunition, guns, extra magazines and other items for the alleged attack.
Authorities estimated that several boxes of ammunition that Proper had allegedly acquired contained thousands of rounds. It is also alleged that Proper acquired an AR-style rifle, a bullpup rifle painted with the American flag and two plate carriers with AR-style magazines. His family voluntarily turned over the equipment to law enforcement.
His father told officers that Proper had quit his job to meet up with people he had met online to conduct “missions” and “recons,” according to the complaint. It said that Proper’s mother had first alerted authorities over concerns about his recent alleged firearm purchases and communications with individuals online.
Two others, identified as Bryan Omar Roa and Michael Alan Thomas, were arrested in California for alleged involvement in the plot. Both men were charged with conspiracy to commit murder. They appeared in court on Monday in Riverside.
Daniel K. Eskridge, of Kansas City, Missouri, and Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, of Omaha, Nebraska, were also arrested.
Court documents say Eskridge’s wife told investigators he described himself as a recruiter for the group and had amassed tactical gear, including a rifle, ammunition and other equipment, in recent months. She also said he built a firearms range on his property about three weeks before his arrest and that she was aware of his Signal communications through messages that appeared on a shared tablet.
Alvarez allegedly operated under the online moniker “Shepherd” and served as a key organizer of the plot, using a Signal chat to direct staging locations, sniper and drone positions, escape routes and communications protocols,” according to court documents. Prosecutors say he also discussed coordinating with other groups and urged participants to obtain additional explosive-capable drones, writing: “As many and as deadly as we can get.”
Multiple sources told Fox News that those in custody are American citizens, and a foreign nexus was not involved.
The U.S. Secret Service (USSS) 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.”
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Investigators later uncovered Signal chats in which multiple people allegedly discussed attacking the UFC event. An initial review of one suspect’s iPhone identified at least 23 Signal users discussing pre-operational activity, officials said.
Some of those involved allegedly planned to travel to Fredericksburg, Virginia, on June 12 or 13 to prepare for the attack.
One suspect allegedly told investigators the goal was to target “capitalist elites,” “billionaires” or politicians who received donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
The investigation stretched across at least 12 FBI field offices.
FBI Director Kash Patel credited the FBI, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and law enforcement partners with acting quickly across multiple states to prevent the alleged attack.
“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,” Patel said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Patel said the operation showed the FBI’s ability to respond quickly when threats emerge.
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“While the result represented the best of investigative work, it was also nothing out of the ordinary for this law enforcement team,” Patel said. “We are built to detect, respond to, and bring to justice those who threaten the lives of American citizens — particularly during large gatherings like the historic UFC 250 fight. That’s exactly what we did here.”
“I want to thank our great agents and partners, this work remains ongoing, and we will continue to update the public as permitted,” Patel added.
In a joint statement released later Tuesday, the FBI and U.S. Secret Service (USSS) said their “strong working relationship” helped thwart the alleged attack.
“The FBI and U.S. Secret Service are proud of our strong working relationship,” a spokesperson for the FBI and U.S. Secret Service said. “This investigation highlights that continuous partnership and could not have happened without the great work and coordination between our two agencies. This weekend’s thwarted attack should be a message to any criminal actor that if you target Americans, you will be found and brought to justice.”
Prior to the statement, two senior U.S. officials told Fox News that USSS leadership was “disappointed” with the FBI for the morning announcement about the alleged plot. Sources added that there had been a plan to wait for the release.
Retired FBI agent Jason Pack told Fox News Digital that the alleged scheme appeared to have moved beyond online rhetoric and into operational planning.
“This was a real threat,” Pack said, describing it as “organized political violence with specific targets.”
He said the most troubling aspect was the apparent “shift from ideology to actual preparation,” including recruitment across multiple states, encrypted communications, logistical planning and identifying staging areas.
While Pack questioned whether every phase of the alleged plot would have succeeded, he said parts of it appeared technically feasible and would have likely led to fatalities.
Pack also pointed to the role of human intelligence in disrupting the alleged network, saying the investigation began after “somebody’s family member got worried and called it in.”
“That’s how this got stopped,” he added.
The alleged plot targeted UFC Freedom 250, a high-profile White House event held on the South Lawn as part of President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday weekend.
The event drew an estimated 4,300 attendees, including about 1,200 active-duty service members, as 14 fighters from around the world competed inside a wire-mesh cage Sunday night.
Reacting to the news on “FOX & Friends” Tuesday, Vice President JD Vance called it “very, very dark stuff.”
“This is what happens when people turn the rhetoric up so loud that disagreeing with somebody is a cause for violence,” Vance said. “We got to tell everybody to tone it down.”
“Everybody has a role to cut this stuff out,” Vance continued. “But I think a lot of my Democratic colleagues in Washington have got to look themselves in the mirror and say, why is so much of this political violence coming from our side of the spectrum?”
The alleged plot comes amid a growing series of threats and security incidents involving Trump and senior administration officials, fueling heightened concerns about political violence.
Fox News Digital’s Christina Dugan Ramirez and Kelley Kramer contributed to this report.
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