- Trump hosted UFC Freedom 250 on White House South Lawn on June 14, 2026
- FBI foiled a plot involving drones, snipers, and an attack on White House event attendees
- Plotters used Signal, TikTok, and Telegram for planning and shared details on attacks
US President Donald Trump hosted UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House on June 14, marking the first professional sporting event ever held at the presidential residence. The White House hosted the UFC event, which coincided with Trump's 80th birthday and formed part of celebrations marking the nation's 250th anniversary.
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.
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.
The authorities first learned of the threat after a relative contacted them, worried that a family member had been talking about carrying out something harmful in Washington, DC, CBS News reported.
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. Others were also arrested.
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
FBI Uncovered Group Chat Of 19 Members
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.
According to the Washington Post, 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. He also told officers that he had never met the others in person and did not even know their names.
When his mother overheard him on the phone, she asked him to open up about the plan. He told her about "recons" and "missions", and a plan to "deal with the evil government".
The Washington Post found details of the alleged plot through police reports, body cam footage, sworn affidavits and court documents. The report stated that the plot was coordinated by the suspects day and night, using fake names on TikTok, SimpleX, Telegram and other apps about violent plans. Apparently, the conspirators were horrified by the direction the country was going towards.
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.
The counts carry maximum penalties of 15 years and life in prison, respectively. 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.
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
"Too Late To Back Out Now"
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. "Failure is not an option."
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.
"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. The messages also showed that they discussed how many drones to build and how to obtain explosives.
"As many and as deadly as we can get," Abraham Alvarez, a 31-year-old resident of Nebraska replied.
Trump, Vance, Netanyahu, Musk Were Targets
The FBI later found that his proposed targets were Trump, Vice President JD Vance, billionaire Elon Musk and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Another member, Michael Thomas, a 32-year-old Californian, told his participants to "consider yourselves an enemy of the state."
"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."
According to the report, the men only met in person twice and thereafter only two at a time.
Bryan Roa, a 25-year-old member of the "Vanguard of the Old Republic" group chat, said that he had quit his job in California. His family told investigators that of late, he had become irritable and anxious in recent months and was spending a lot of time shooting.
On June 10, after his family found him missing, they decided to report it to the police, but later opted not to. Roa had left his home for Washington but after his vehicle broke down, he was forced to come back home. He denied being a part of the controversy but said that he was heading to the capital to protest.
In Ohio, Proper resigned from his position at a landscaping firm and purchased a semiautomatic shotgun customised with an American flag pattern. His parents later calculated that he used $3,000 of his high school graduation funds to acquire various weapons and gear. 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.
Later on during the investigation, Proper was hospitalised because of homicidal thoughts.
The FBI also found out about Chandler Scaggs, a 21-year-old from West Virginia, who was designated to be the sniper. Proper was supposed to give him a ride to Washington.
"Its gonna be a f---ing bloodbath," Thomas wrote days before the UFC event in the group and added a heart-eye emoji.
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.
