The FBI has thwarted a drone attack plot targeting a UFC event held at the White House. Several individuals have been arrested in connection with the conspiracy, which aimed to use explosives and sniper fire.
The foiled plot highlights domestic security concerns and the potential for extremist groups to target high-profile events and government locations. The arrests underscore the FBI's efforts to counter threats through intelligence gathering and inter-agency cooperation.
Federal agents successfully thwarted a planned attack targeting a UFC event held at the White House, according to court documents. The conspirators, reportedly disgruntled with the country's direction, discussed using drones loaded with explosives and shooting members of the panicked crowd as they fled.
The FBI became aware of the potential threat on June 10, four days before the mixed martial arts event in the White House's South Lawn. The agency, along with law enforcement partners and the Department of Justice, acted swiftly in a multi-state operation, leading to the arrest of several individuals and the prevention of the planned attacks.
Among those arrested was 19-year-old Tycen Proper from Ohio. His mother had reportedly alerted local law enforcement about his firearm purchases and online communications. Proper admitted to law enforcement that he participated in planning the attack. The group reportedly began communicating in March through a TikTok group called "Vanguard of the Old," sharing detailed maps and discussing escape routes via encrypted messaging apps like Signal.
According to court documents, members of the group believed the U.S. was heading in the wrong direction and needed to be 'torn down' to be rebuilt. Some expressed a desire that individuals associated with Jeffrey Epstein should not govern the country. Proper told law enforcement that while he did not intend to shoot people at the White House, others in the group did. The plan involved detonating drones over the north side of the White House, causing an evacuation into the line of fire of waiting snipers, in an effort to 'spark' a revolution.
President Trump, who was celebrating his 80th birthday at the UFC event, stated that he had not been briefed on the thwarted plot. Darlene Superville and Michael Kunzelman contributed to this report.
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