Eight indicted in alleged plot to attack White House UFC event

Eight men were indicted Thursday in Columbus, Ohio, after federal prosecutors said they helped plan an attack on the UFC Freedom 250 event on the White House South Lawn. The June 14 show landed on President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday and Flag Day, and it was part of the buildup to the nation’s 250th anniversary, putting a massive security operation around one of the country’s most visible political stages.

The Justice Department said the case centers on two conspiracy charges: providing material support to terrorists and murder on federal government territory, along with murder of a federal government official. Prosecutors allege the group planned to use drones as a diversion and then have snipers fire on attendees as they fled. Authorities said the broader alleged scheme involved more than 10 suspects and a package of support that included money, firearms, ammunition, body armor, explosives, drones, medical equipment, communication equipment, personnel and other services.

The FBI first learned of a potential threat on June 10, 2026, four days before the event. Federal authorities then carried out arrests over the June 14 weekend in Ohio, Missouri, Nebraska and California, followed by two more arrests about a week later in Washington and Missouri. The indictment replaced earlier criminal complaints filed in multiple districts, consolidating the case into a single federal proceeding.

The eighth defendant named in the indictment is Chandler D. Scaggs, 21, of Chapmanville, West Virginia. Prosecutors said Scaggs was allegedly assigned to be one of the snipers and remained willing to take part even after losing contact with Tycen C. Proper, 19, of Danville, Ohio, after Proper’s arrest. The original five men charged on June 16 were Proper, Bryan Omar Roa, 24, of Calimesa, California; Michael Alan Thomas, 32, of Pinon Hills, California; Daniel K. Eskridge, 32, of Kidder, Missouri; and Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, 31, of Omaha, Nebraska.

The case has drawn attention because prosecutors say it targeted a heavily protected site during a nationally symbolic event on White House grounds. By framing the alleged attack around drones, snipers and a small network of defendants spread across Ohio, Missouri, Nebraska, California and Washington, the indictment underscores how public-event security now has to account for threats that can move quickly, communicate remotely and exploit moments of crowd movement.