The New York Times: Five charged in alleged plot to attack White House with explosive-laden drones during UFC

Authorities have charged at least five people after a 19-year-old Ohio man told investigators last week that he and others planned to attack the White House while it hosted Ultimate Fighting Championship matches over the weekend, according to newly unsealed court papers.

FBI Director Kash Patel announced the case on social media, saying that “multiple individuals are now in custody and allegedly planned attacks were stopped cold.”

The charging documents unsealed hours later Tuesday outlined a plot ambitious in scope, involving explosive-laden drones and rifles, but left less clear that the conspirators had the means to carry it out.

The documents indicated that the men possessed a number of firearms, but not any explosives or multiple drones to carry them.

In an interview, the 19-year-old, Tycen Proper, told investigators that he had been discussing the plot with friends he met online. The group was motivated by a desire to “protect” the United States, which “needed to be torn down so that it could be rebuilt,” the charging documents said.

“Some expressed a desire that people who were involved with Jeffrey Epstein should not govern the country.”

Proper, according to the charging papers, planned to bring an AR-15 rifle, ammunition, tactical vests and ballistic plates for the attack, which would begin by detonating explosive-laden drones over the north side of the outdoor UFC arena. That would send the crowd running south, where other members of the group would act as “snipers” to fire at them with rifles.

Officials said a Missouri man charged with being part of the conspiracy, Daniel K Eskridge, discussed building drones and trying to break into military facilities to steal explosives for use in the plot.

In California, authorities said one man, Michael Alan Thomas, “admitted to helping plan the attack and encouraging others to take part in it,” while another, Bryan Omar Roa, denied any involvement in the conspiracy and said he had planned to go to Washington to protest.

Abraham Alvarez, a Nebraska man, was also arrested. Investigators say he called himself “Shepherd” in online discussions with the others and claimed to be building drones and “cooking” explosives. The court papers do not indicate if investigators found any such material at his home.

Authorities were first notified of potential danger by Proper’s mother last Wednesday, four days before the UFC fights, according to the criminal complaint.

After Proper’s parents called the local police, he was taken to a mental health hospital and admitted “based on homicidal ideations,” according to court papers.

An affidavit filed by a Columbus, Ohio, police detective serving on a terrorism task force said he interviewed Proper in the hospital Thursday.

During that interview, the man “admitted to planning with others a coordinated attack against the United States government during the UFC event scheduled to take place on the White House lawn,” the affidavit said.

Proper also admitted to “being one of the team leaders” of the group, and told the investigator that the members planned to leave their homes in various states Friday or Saturday, and meet in Fredericksburg, Virginia, before proceeding to the nation’s capital.

Asked at a news conference Tuesday morning about the FBI’s announcement of the plot, Matthew C Quinn, deputy director of the Secret Service, said his agency had led the investigation from the start and noted that suspects remained at large.

“I’ll tell you that it’s ongoing,” he said. “In order to maintain the integrity of the investigation and the security plan, we chose not to leak it.”