On June 14, US President Donald Trump hosted UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House. This marked the first time a professional sporting event was held at the presidential residence. The event coincided with Trump’s 80th birthday and was part of the celebrations for the nation’s 250th anniversary.
A group had allegedly intended to use drones carrying explosives to strike buildings near the fight venue, while a sniper team was to target crowds as they tried to flee. Others were also arrested. When his mother overheard him on the phone, she asked him to open up about the plan. Federal prosecutors have charged eight men across six states with conspiring to provide material support to terrorists and conspiring to commit murder, with Proper named as the youngest defendant. Related to the same alleged attack plot, a Chicago man faces an obstruction of justice charge, while a California man was charged in late August with weapons possession and destruction of records after authorities linked him to the group’s chat planning sessions. Everyone accused in the plot has pleaded not guilty. “Failure is not an option. The messages also showed that they discussed how many drones to build and how to obtain explosives. The FBI later found that his proposed targets were Trump, Vice President JD Vance, billionaire Elon Musk and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Roa had left his home for Washington but after his vehicle broke down, he was forced to come back home. In Ohio, Proper resigned from his position at a landscaping firm and purchased a semiautomatic shotgun customised with an American flag pattern. During a search of his bedroom, law enforcement uncovered a journal containing a list of numerous celebrities and politicians, alongside entries detailing his belief that the government was trying to control the public and sacrifice individuals, including children, to a demonic entity. The incident followed a string of recent security incidents near the White House. In May, a gunman was killed by US Secret Service officers after opening fire at a checkpoint close to the building.
US President Donald Trump gestures as he attends UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on June 15 Photo Credit: AFP According to the FBI, a search of 19-year-old Tycen Proper’s phone uncovered a Signal group consisting of roughly 19 members, alongside smaller sub-chats structured around specific locations and assigned roles. The counts carry maximum penalties of 15 years and life in prison, respectively. In mid-May, another conspirator, 30-year-old Daniel Eskridge and father of five said that the target should be someone the Republicans and Democrats could unite over. Another member, Michael Thomas, a 32-year-old Californian, told his participants to “consider yourselves an enemy of the state. On June 10, after his family found him missing, they decided to report it to the police, but later opted not to. His parents later calculated that he used $3,000 of his high school graduation funds to acquire various weapons and gear.
However, the FBI Director Kash Patel later said that the agency stopped drones armed with explosives, a sniper team and a plan to storm the White House gates. That tip is said to have led to the arrest of a teenager from Ohio, alongside the discovery of an informal group allegedly discussing the plot over social media. When police arrived at the teenager’s home in Ohio, he and his alleged co-conspirators were already in possession of guns, bullets and body armour, according to the Washington Post . He also told officers that he had never met the others in person and did not even know their names. He told her about “recons” and “missions”, and a plan to “deal with the evil government”. Trump and UFC CEO Dana White arrive for the “UFC Freedom 250” mixed martial arts event on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, June 14, 2026 Photo Credit: AFP Even after Proper was detained, the remaining conspirators continued with the planning on TikTok. “Too late to back out now folks, the brakes are off,” one sent the next day. “I think I can speak for everyone in saying we’re tired of not making s*** happen and tired of being ruled over by treasonous paedophilic criminal politicians and foreign agents,” Eskridge wrote the Friday before Memorial Day, according to chat screenshots. “If we are successful this could be the first battle of the second American Revolution,” he said. In one Signal group called “Hunters”, they shared aerial photos of the White House ground and planned escape routes. “As many and as deadly as we can get,” Abraham Alvarez, a 31-year-old resident of Nebraska replied. “You will be sacrificing for your country, and carrying a brunt of the weight,” he added. Thomas told investigators that he believed the US government to be run by “an elite group of individuals who sacrifice and consume infants. The men only met in person twice and thereafter only two at a time, according to the report. He denied being a part of the controversy but said that he was heading to the capital to protest.
Concerns Raised Over Potential Threat in Washington, DC
Authorities became aware of a potential threat when a relative reported concerns about a family member’s alarming discussions regarding harmful actions in Washington, DC, as reported by CBS News.
Bryan Roa, a 25-year-old who participated in the ‘Vanguard of the Old Republic’ group chat, recently quit his job in California. His family informed investigators that Roa had displayed increasing irritability and anxiety in recent months, spending excessive time at shooting ranges.
Proper was supposed to give him a ride to Washington. Because of homicidal thoughts, later on during the investigation, Proper was hospitalised. The FBI also found out about Chandler Scaggs, a 21-year-old from West Virginia, who was designated to be the sniper.
“Its gonna be a f—ing bloodbath,” Thomas wrote days before the UFC event in the group and added a heart-eye emoji.
