Alleged terror plot against UFC White House event thwarted, FBI says

Federal investigators arrested several people suspected of planning an attack on the UFC’s Freedom 250 event at the White House, according to a Tuesday statement from FBI Director Kash Patel. The FBI, the Justice Department, and other regional partners launched a multistate operation to stop the planned attack, according to the statement. Federal investigators are built to detect and respond to threats, so uncovering the plot was nothing out of the ordinary, according to Patel.

Formal comments and details of the alleged plot will be shared in federal court filings, Secret Service Director Sean Curran said on Tuesday. Special agents worked tirelessly with the FBI to safeguard this presidential event and ensure those responsible for the foiled plot were held accountable, Curran added. An affidavit an FBI officer on the Joint Terrorism Task Force submitted in Ohio identified Tycen Proper as one of the five suspected conspirators arrested. He is presumed innocent until proven guilty. 

What did the alleged attack include? During an FBI interview, Proper admitted to coordinating a planned attack on the government during the UFC, according to the affidavit. Investigators said Proper communicated with fellow conspirators on the messaging app Signal after meeting online in a TikTok group called Vanguard of the Old.

The group planned to pose as protesters and assemble near the White House, bringing weapons, ammunition, tactical vests, and ballistic plates, Proper allegedly told investigators. During the demonstration, the group planned to deploy and detonate a drone carrying explosives over the UFC event to prompt an evacuation.

Some of the co-conspirators planned to act as snipers and target politicians and wealthy individuals among the crowd fleeing the explosion, according to the affidavit. Signal messages identified Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn; Jim Justice, R-W.V.; and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V.; along with Reps. Carol Miller, R-W.V.; and Riley Moore, R-W.V.; as specific individuals to target during the attack.

The group hoped the attack would kick-start a revolution in the United States, claiming that the country was heading in the wrong direction, Proper told investigators. The 19-year-old faced charges of conspiring to commit an offense against the United States and attempted murder of a U.S. officer or employee, along with two felony firearms charges.