Group planned to attack White House UFC event using snipers and drones, FBI says

Group planned to attack White House UFC event using snipers and drones, FBI says 5 hours ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Ana Faguy Washington Getty Images The event was held on Sunday, as US President Donald Trump celebrated his 80th birthday The FBI thwarted a plot targeting Sunday's UFC event at the White House and has arrested five men, the US justice department said on Tuesday. Part of the plan involved striking nearby buildings with explosive-laden drones and firing on "high value targets", prosecutors alleged. One suspect was arrested in Ohio last week, where investigators reviewed encrypted messages involving other alleged conspirators. Prosecutors said in charging documents they had allegedly "expressed ultra-religious and antigovernment sentiments". "Allegedly planned attacks were stopped cold," FBI Director Kash Patel posted on social media on Tuesday about the "multi-state operation". The suspects were identified as Tycen C Proper, 19, the suspect arrested in Ohio, along with Bryan Omar Roa, 24, and Michael Alan Thomas, 32, of California, Daniel K Eskridge, 32, of Missouri and Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, 31, of Nebraska. They were arrested across the four US states and each have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a statement. By using the drones, the plotters aimed to spark panic and draw the fleeing crowd toward a sniper team, according to the court documents. A "second wave" of attackers was then allegedly supposed to storm the White House gate. An estimated 4,300 people were present for the invite-only event on the South Lawn - and another 85,000 were able to watch nearby - during the back-to-back fights on Sunday. Court filings related to Alvarez said the group allegedly eyed potential targets that included US President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Elon Musk, as well as several elected officials - though not all attended the UFC event. The plot was discovered through Proper. His mother called local authorities late on 10 June - just days before the high-profile event - because she was concerned about his large firearms purchases and what she had seen of his online communication with a group that claimed to be made up of former military members and Christian-based. The group allegedly wanted to "jumpstart" a revolution by shooting "high-value targets" - identified as wealthy people and politicians - attending the UFC fight. They had specifically discussed "grievances about government corruption, the handling of the Epstein files, data centers taking up all the water in communities, and other government actions," prosecutors said. Group members stated that they wanted "to protect the United States, which they believed was headed in the wrong direction", an FBI document said. "Members of the group believed that the United States needed to be torn down so that it could be rebuilt," the document said. During an FBI inter