Five arrested in alleged plot to attack White House UFC event

Five men were charged after federal authorities said they disrupted an alleged plot to attack UFC Freedom 250, a mixed martial arts event staged on the White House South Lawn and held last Sunday. The case unfolded around one of the most symbolically charged settings in Washington, with investigators saying they moved in before any attack could be carried out.

The Justice Department identified the defendants as Tycen C. Proper, 19, of Danville, Ohio; 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. Prosecutors said the five conspired to plan and execute a mass-casualty attack targeting U.S. officials attending the event. The complaint against Roa and Thomas charges conspiracy to commit murder under 18 U.S.C. § 1117.

Federal investigators said the FBI opened the case on June 10 after receiving a potential threat. Arrests followed over the weekend in Ohio, Missouri, Nebraska and California. In a separate account included in the case file, a man from Knox County, Ohio, was described as having amassed weapons, ammunition and tactical gear at his home, while also connecting online with like-minded individuals and identifying targets.

The complaint involving Roa and Thomas says the conduct took place in San Bernardino County, California, on or about June 11 and 12. It also says that on June 12 the FBI interviewed a co-conspirator in West Virginia, who confirmed that he and others had communicated online about attacking the UFC Freedom 250 event in Washington, D.C. That same person said the group had canceled its attack plans that morning.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the FBI, law enforcement partners and U.S. attorneys acted with “quick response and vigilance” to stop the plan before it could be carried out. FBI Director Kash Patel said multiple people were in custody and that the planned attacks were stopped “cold.” The Secret Service said protecting the president and White House grounds is its “priority number one” and cited a “dramatic rise in threats” against protectees.

The White House fight card had already drawn intense scrutiny before the arrests. It was tied to President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday and the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence, and reports said at least $60 million was being spent on the event. Temporary structures, including an octagon and arena, were built on the South Lawn, while a federal lawsuit sought to block the show even as the administration pressed to keep it on the calendar. The investigation remains open, underscoring how quickly a politicized public spectacle can become a security test.