Authorities Thwart Attack on UFC Event at the White House

WASHINGTON (AP) — Authorities successfully halted a planned attack on the UFC cage fighting event held at the White House over the weekend, according to court documents revealed on Tuesday. The documents detail how conspirators, frustrated with the country’s direction, discussed using explosive-laden drones and shooting at members of the fleeing crowd.

The FBI intercepted encrypted text messages among about 20 participants who shared detailed maps of the area and discussed the need for a “safe house” and escape routes after the attack, as outlined in the documents. The judicial records do not clarify how close the attackers came to executing their plan before it was thwarted last week.

The FBI became aware of the threat on June 10, four days before the mixed martial arts event at the White House’s South Lawn. “Thanks to swift action by the FBI, our partners, and the Department of Justice in a multi-state operation, several individuals are now in custody, and the planned attacks have been completely stopped,” agency director Kash Patel stated in a post on X on Tuesday morning.

Five people were arrested in states including Ohio, Missouri, and California, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the matter who spoke with The Associated Press under anonymity to discuss information not yet public.

Among those arrested was Tycen Proper, a 19-year-old man from Ohio. His mother contacted local law enforcement last week with concerns about his firearm purchases and online communications, according to an FBI affidavit filed in the case. A federal public defender appointed to represent Proper, accused of firearm-related offenses and crimes including attempted murder of a U.S. official or employee, has not responded to multiple requests for comment.

Proper made his initial court appearance in Columbus on Monday and faces a detention hearing on Wednesday. The detainee admitted in an interview with law enforcement that he was part of planning an attack. The affidavit reveals group communication started in March via a TikTok group named “Vanguard of the Old.”

“Group members claimed they wanted to protect the United States, believing it was heading in the wrong direction,” the affidavit states. “They believed the U.S. needed to be dismantled for rebuilding. Some expressed that those involved with Jeffrey Epstein should not govern the country.”

The attack’s logistics were discussed using Signal, an app leveraging end-to-end encryption for messaging and calls, through a primary chat of “approximately 19 individuals” and smaller secondary chats, authorities reported. Messages obtained from Proper’s phone show he talked about the plot with others, pointing out several legislators he believed should be targeted due to their support of Israel, according to the affidavit.

Proper informed law enforcement officials he planned to drive with guns and body armor to a meetup point in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where the group intended to gather, the affidavit stated. He mentioned that he did not intend to shoot people in the White House, though others in the group had such intentions, as described in the affidavit.

The plan involved deploying drones over the White House’s north side, triggering a rushed evacuation into the line of waiting snipers. The attack, Proper noted, was aimed at “spurring” a revolution in the U.S., authorities explained.

President Donald Trump, who celebrated his 80th birthday at the UFC event on Sunday, was a friend of Epstein years ago but claimed to have terminated the relationship before Epstein’s crimes became known. Epstein committed suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday in Évian-les-Bains, France, where he attended the Group of Seven summit, the Republican president disclosed that he had not been informed of the thwarted plot.

Darlene Superville in Évian-les-Bains, France, and Michael Kunzelman in Washington contributed to this report.