The FBI announced Tuesday it had disrupted an alleged plot to attack a mixed martial arts event held on the White House South Lawn, arresting five people across multiple US states. FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau and its law enforcement partners had detained the individuals in connection with a plan to target the UFC Freedom 250 event, which took place on the evening of Sunday, June 14, 2026, and concluded without incident. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were present at the event.
According to court records, the alleged plot involved small drones carrying explosives intended to strike buildings in the area and trigger a mass evacuation, followed by a planned second wave targeting a security checkpoint. Snipers were also described as part of the plan, with senior government officials and wealthy attendees identified as targets. US Secret Service Deputy Director Matt Quinn told reporters at a Tuesday briefing that 'it was a serious threat,' while also stating the event was 'never at risk' owing to the investigative work carried out ahead of it.
The FBI said it became aware of the potential threat on June 10, following a tip from the mother of one of the suspects, who was concerned about her son's recent behaviour. Federal investigators found that suspects were allegedly communicating via Signal group chats to discuss pre-operational planning, with some travelling to Fredericksburg, Virginia on June 12 or 13. An initial review of one suspect's iPhone revealed at least 23 Signal users discussing pre-operational activity. The investigation spanned at least 12 FBI field offices.
The five individuals charged are Tycen Proper, 19, of Ohio; Daniel Eskridge of Missouri; Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez of Nebraska; and Bryan Omar Roa and Michael Alan Thomas of California. Proper faces charges of conspiring against the United States, attempted murder of an officer of the United States, and firearms offences. All five have been arrested and are being detained pending further proceedings. Multiple sources indicated the defendants are American citizens and that investigators do not believe there is a foreign nexus to the alleged plot.
FBI and Department of Homeland Security officials had issued a bulletin earlier in the month describing the fights as 'attractive symbolic targets,' though no credible threats were listed at that time. Federal law prohibits the operation of drones in the airspace over the National Capital Region. Trump, speaking to reporters in Evian-les-Bains, France, said he had not been briefed on the thwarted plot [Source: Associated Press].
Sources: Bloomberg, CBS News, ABC News, Fox 5 DC, Associated Press, PBS NewsHour, WJLA