FBI Foils Drone-and-Sniper Plot to Attack White House UFC Event, Five Charged

A mother's call that stopped an attack

The plot unraveled four days before it was scheduled to unfold. On 10 June, the mother of Tycen Proper, 19, of Danville, Ohio, called local police to report her son's alarming behavior: recent purchases of firearms, ammunition, and ballistic plates, along with his activity in an encrypted TikTok group called "Vanguard of the Old Republic," whose members claimed to be ex-military and Christian-based.bbc Police had Proper hospitalized for homicidal ideation and alerted the FBI.washingtonpost Investigators then traced a Signal chat group of roughly 19 people on Proper's phone, triggering arrests across Ohio, California, Missouri, and Nebraska within days.theguardian

The alleged plan: drones, snipers, and a second wave

The Department of Justice charged all five men with conspiracy to commit murder.theguardian Prosecutors allege the group intended to fly explosive-laden drones over the north side of the UFC arena to trigger mass panic, then station snipers along southern evacuation routes to fire on "high value targets" fleeing the blast zone.bbc A second wave was allegedly planned to storm the White House gate.bbc Proper told FBI agents the attack was designed to "jumpstart a revolution" in the United States.washingtonpost Court filings name President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Elon Musk, and multiple members of Congress as intended targets — though not all were present at the event.espn Investigators say the group also mapped power grids as secondary targets and distributed drone launch coordinates and sniper positions across Washington.bbc

The five suspects and the alleged ringleader

The five charged are Proper; Bryan Omar Roa, 24, and Michael Alan Thomas, 32, both of California; Daniel K. Eskridge, 32, of Missouri; and Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, 31, of Omaha, Nebraska.theguardian Prosecutors allege Alvarez operated under the handle "Shepherd," directing others on positioning, escape routes, and target selection from encrypted chats.washingtonpost Thomas told investigators he viewed himself as a "planner and advisor" seeking to overthrow the government, and made antisemitic statements during his interview.washingtonpost The Department of Homeland Security subsequently identified Alvarez as a Mexican national who had received DACA status and was in the country illegally at the time of his arrest.wowt Each defendant faces a maximum of life in prison plus a $250,000 fine if convicted of conspiracy to commit murder.bbc

What the investigation found — and what it missed

FBI Director Kash Patel said the "multi-state operation" stopped the "planned attacks cold."theguardian Secret Service Deputy Director Matthew Quinn told reporters the event was "never at risk," but warned that some people identified by investigators remained at large.washingtonpost Fox News reported that officials had identified up to 23 individuals potentially involved in the broader plot.theguardian A preliminary hearing for the five charged defendants has been scheduled for 29 June.bbc