Five Arrested in Alleged Plot to Attack UFC Event at the White House

A dramatic disruption of a conspiracy to target a high‑profile UFC event at the White House underscores evolving threats to public gatherings and the complexity of modern security challenges.

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Unfolding of the Plot and Arrests

On June 10, 2026, the FBI and its law enforcement partners detected a credible threat targeting the UFC Freedom 250 event—an unprecedented mixed martial arts spectacle staged at the White House to mark President Trump’s 80th birthday and America’s 250th anniversary . Over the following days, a coordinated multi‑state operation led to the arrests of five men across Ohio, California, Missouri, and Nebraska . Court documents reveal that 19‑year‑old Tycen Proper admitted to orchestrating a “coordinated attack against the United States government,” involving explosive‑laden drones deployed above the UFC arena followed by gunfire targeting panicked crowd members as they fled . The other arrested individuals—Bryan Omar Roa (24, California), Michael Alan Thomas (32, California), Daniel K. Eskridge (32, Missouri), and Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez (31, Nebraska)—face charges ranging from conspiracy to commit murder to offenses against the U.S. government .

Digital Footprints and Family Intervention

Investigators traced the conspiracy’s origins to encrypted chat groups on Signal, where Proper and roughly 19 others exchanged aerial maps, escape routes, and tactical discussions . These communications included coded directives from a user known as “Shepherd,” believed to be Alvarez, coordinating positioning and exits . Crucially, the plot unraveled when Proper’s mother, alarmed by his escalating behavior—stockpiling firearms, expressing extremist ideologies, and sharing antisemitic and pro‑Hitler sentiments—contacted law enforcement on June 7, prompting an emergency response that ultimately led to his detention and psychiatric evaluation .