FBI says it disrupted alleged plot targeting UFC event at White House

The FBI disrupted an alleged plot targeting Sunday’s UFC cage-fight event at the White House, FBI Director Kash Patel said Tuesday. Newly unsealed court documents detailed a plan investigators said involved explosive-laden drones and shooters targeting crowds fleeing the event.

Tycen Proper, a 19-year-old Ohio man, has been charged with multiple felony counts in connection with the alleged plot, including conspiracy to commit an offense against the U.S. and attempted murder of an officer or employee of the country, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday.

The complaint was signed June 12, two days before President Donald Trump hosted the UFC showcase on the White House South Lawn as part of his 80th birthday celebration.

A preliminary search of Proper’s iPhone revealed encrypted group chats that “laid out detailed plans to conduct an attack in Washington, D.C. with several unidentified confederates,” according to the complaint.

Investigators said the alleged plan involved flying small drones carrying explosives near the UFC arena, forcing spectators and “high value targets” to evacuate. Members of the group would then shoot at the fleeing crowd, according to court documents.

“According to Proper, this attack was designed to ‘jumpstart’ a revolution in the United States,” an FBI affidavit said.

Patel revealed the alleged plot in a post on X Tuesday morning.

“On June 10, FBI and our law enforcement partners became aware of a potential threat to the UFC America 250 event in Washington, D.C. involving individuals outside of the National Capital Region,” Patel wrote in the post.

Patel said the FBI, the Justice Department and other law enforcement partners moved quickly in a multistate operation, putting “multiple individuals” in custody and stopping “allegedly planned attacks” before they were carried out.

Investigators said the case began when Proper’s mother contacted law enforcement June 10 out of concern over her son’s conduct, including firearms purchases and online communications with certain individuals, according to the complaint.

When law enforcement went to the family’s home in Ohio, they found thousands of rounds of ammunition, an assault-style rifle and a bullpup rifle that had been purchased June 5 and painted with an American flag, according to court documents. Proper’s family voluntarily turned over the equipment, investigators said.

Proper had allegedly joined a TikTok messaging group called “Vanguard of the Old” in March, according to the complaint. Members of the group believed the U.S. was headed in the wrong direction and “needed to be torn down so that it could be rebuilt,” the complaint said.

According to investigators, the group shifted communications to encrypted apps like Signal. Proper allegedly discussed targeting lawmakers he believed received donations from pro-Israel political action committees.

“I got a possible target Marsha Blackburn is senator for Tennessee,” Proper allegedly wrote in a May message, according to the complaint.

Asked by an unnamed co-conspirator why he was planning to target Blackburn, a Republican, Proper allegedly replied, “she’s taken money from the Israel pro Israel lobby and supports them.”

In other messages, Proper allegedly listed Republican lawmakers from West Virginia’s congressional delegation as “the people we’re going to focus on,” including Sen. Jim Justice, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, Rep. Carol Miller and Rep. Riley Moore, all of whom are Republicans.

Proper also allegedly made sympathetic comments about Adolf Hitler in the group chat, according to the complaint.

Asked about the alleged plot Tuesday at the Group of Seven summit in France, Trump said, “I haven’t heard about it.”

“The attack that I watched was the fighters,” he added.

A spokesperson for the FBI referred CNBC to Patel’s post. The Justice Department declined to comment.

“President Trump and the entire Administration are grateful to the FBI [and] Secret Service, and every heroic member of law enforcement who works tirelessly to keep us safe. Thanks to their efforts, UFC Freedom 250 will be remembered as one of the greatest sporting events in history,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X.

Secret Service Director Sean Curran said in a statement on X that his agency “worked closely with the FBI throughout this investigation.”

“In the days leading up to this weekend, our special agents, mission support personnel, and technical security teams worked around the clock to identify those responsible and hold them accountable,” Curran wrote.

The Secret Service’s formal comments on the details of the alleged plot would come through court filings, Curran said.

The UFC event brought thousands of people to the White House complex and drew an enormous law enforcement presence in and around the area. Roads near the White House were blocked off, fencing was used to control crowds and federal, state and local law enforcement officers were deployed around the event.

The alleged plot adds to a run of security threats and political violence involving Trump, elected officials and high-profile public events.

In April, a man allegedly armed with guns and knives ran through a security checkpoint at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. He later pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to assassinate the president.

Trump also faced two assassination attempts during the 2024 campaign: one at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and another at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.