The U.S. Department of Justice made official the indictment of five people accused of planning an attack with explosive-laden drones and snipers during the UFC mixed martial arts (MMA) event held last Sunday at the White House for President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.
According to court documents, the suspects are Tycen Proper, 19, a resident of the state of Ohio; Bryan Omar Roa and Michael Alan Thomas, arrested in California; Daniel Kenely Eskridge, from Missouri; and Abraham Hermosillo Álvarez, from Nebraska, to whom authorities attribute different roles in the planning and coordination of the attack.
What was the suspects’ plan like?
The plan allegedly contemplated the use of drones loaded with explosives and sniper teams to cause numerous casualties during the UFC evening on Sunday in Washington.
The investigation began on June 10, when Ohio police went to Proper’s home following a tip from his mother, who alerted them about the purchase of weapons and “worrying” comments made by the young man.
We recommend reading:
More Read
Proper allegedly spent $3,000 of his “graduation money” to buy a “large quantity” of ammunition, weapons, additional magazines, and other items for the alleged attack.
According to the information, the suspects had initially used the social network TikTok to contact each other and then moved to encrypted messaging applications, where they created different chat groups to organize sniper teams and drone operators, and choose high-value targets, including the president.
The suspects’ plan involved launching several drones with explosives against buildings and infrastructure in the vicinity of the White House, with the goal of causing almost simultaneous explosions, sowing panic among those attending the event, and directing the fleeing crowd toward areas where snipers had been positioned to reach a higher number of victims, according to the complaints.
More Read
Proper is charged in Ohio with several federal crimes, including conspiracy to commit an offense against the U.S., while Roa, Thomas, Eskridge, and Álvarez face charges of conspiracy to commit murder.
The FBI was aware of the threat
For his part, FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on his X account that: “On June 10, the FBI and our law enforcement partners became aware of a potential threat against the UFC 250 event in Washington D.C., involving individuals from outside the national capital region.”
“We are prepared to detect and respond to those who threaten the lives of U.S. citizens and to bring them to justice, especially during large gatherings like the historic UFC 250 fight,” concluded the FBI Director.
The previous attack attempt on Trump
In April, the presidential Secret Service managed to thwart an attempt by an individual who wanted to attack Trump and other members of his Cabinet during the annual White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner at a Washington hotel.
During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump was also the target of two assassination attempts.
More Read
For his 80th birthday, last Sunday, the US president held a never-before-seen and criticized evening of MMA fights that involved the construction of a large ring with a large grandstand in the White House gardens and that included fireworks and a flyover of fighter jets over downtown Washington.
