FBI Foils Plot to Attack UFC Fight at White House With Bomb-Laden Drones and Snipers

The FBI has disrupted an alleged plot to attack a UFC mixed martial arts event staged at the White House with explosive-laden drones and sniper fire, arresting five American men in a multistate operation, FBI Director Kash Patel announced.

According to court papers unsealed this week, the group planned to strike the "UFC Freedom 250" card — a marquee event held on the White House grounds on June 15, the day President Donald Trump turned 80. Prosecutors say the conspirators intended to fly bomb-carrying drones over the north side of the complex to trigger a panicked evacuation, then open fire on officials and attendees as they fled south. "Multiple individuals are now in custody and allegedly planned attacks were stopped cold," Patel said.

The five charged are Tycen Proper, a 19-year-old from Ohio; Daniel Eskridge of Missouri; Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez of Nebraska; and Bryan Omar Roa and Michael Alan Thomas, both of California. Investigators allege Alvarez, who operated online under the moniker "Shepherd," served as a key organizer, using an encrypted Signal chat to direct staging locations, sniper and drone positions, escape routes and communications protocols. The men initially connected through a TikTok group before moving their planning to Signal, according to the filings. All five face a conspiracy-to-commit-murder count, with Proper charged with three additional offenses.

Court documents describe a target list that allegedly included the president, Vice President JD Vance, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the entrepreneur Elon Musk, and senators including Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Tom Cotton of Arkansas. The grievances cited by the group ranged from U.S. support for Israel to the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and the construction of data centers, officials said. Agents recovered thousands of rounds of ammunition and tactical gear during the operation, though no drones were seized; authorities said the scheme remained in a planning and research phase.

The case began, investigators said, after Proper's mother flagged her son's behavior to the FBI. Secret Service Deputy Director Matt Quinn stressed that the event itself "was never at risk," and officials said the suspects are U.S. citizens with no identified foreign ties. Senator Blackburn was defiant. "I will not let maniacs like this one deter me from celebrating or serving this great nation," she said. The Justice Department said the investigation is ongoing and that additional charges or arrests remain possible.