“On June 10, the 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 on social media. “Thanks to the rapid action of this FBI, our partners and the Department of Justice in a multi-state operation, multiple individuals are now in custody, and allegedly planned attacks were stopped cold.”
The Department of Justice charged Tycen Proper, 19, of Danville, Ohio; Bryan Roa, 24, of Calimesa, Calif.; Michael Thomas, 32, of Pinon Hills, Calif.; Daniel Eskridge, 32, of Kidder, Mo.; and Abraham Alvarez, 31, of Omaha, Nebraska, over their alleged plot to commit mass murder at the mixed-martial-arts fight.
The group planned to use explosive drones to attack buildings near the event, force an evacuation and direct crowds into the fire of snipers, at which point a “second wave” of militias would attack, according to the criminal complaints against the five men.
The group appeared to be motivated by the notion that Jews and Israel had corrupted U.S. President Donald Trump and the United States government, which needed to be overthrown.
“Thomas indicated that he believes that the U.S. government is run by an elite group of individuals who sacrifice and consume infants who also were deeply involved with Jeffery Epstein and are now protected by President Donald Trump,” FBI special agent Mark Prator wrote in one the complaints. “Thomas places some of the responsibility of this corruption of government with Jewish people and blames them and Israel for the current war with Iran.”
The conspiracy unravelled after Proper’s mother called police over concerns about his purchase of firearms and online contacts with a “Christian-based,” “ultra-religious and anti-government” group.
The charging documents describe Proper and the other alleged conspirators seeking targets who had received support from AIPAC, and how the group also expressed their hatred for “capitalist elites” and “billionaires”.
“I got a possible target Marsha Blackburn is senator for Tennessee,” Proper wrote in one text message. “She’s taken money from the pro-Israel lobby and supports them.”
Alongside Sen. Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Proper identified Sens. Jim Justice (R-W.V.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.) and Reps. Carol Miller (R-W.V.) and Riley Moore (R-W.V.) as “people we’re going to focus on,” and used images apparently taken from the website of Track AIPAC, an anti-Israel group.
AIPAC has become a focal point of criticism for both left- and right-wing anti-Israel figures over its endorsement and financial support for Republican and Democratic politicians who support the Jewish state. (JNS sought comment from AIPAC.)
In another series of text messages, an unidentified member of the chatgroup who used the moniker “Shepherd” listed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Tesla CEO Elon Musk as potential victims after they were rumored to be attending the fight.
“Targets confirmed,” Shepherd wrote, using abbreviations to also list Trump and U.S. Vice President JD Vance alongside Netanyahu and Musk.
Netanyahu and Musk did not attend the event on Sunday.
In an interview with Fox News on Tuesday about the thwarted attack, Vance accused Democrats of using rhetoric that can inspire violence.
“Everybody has a role to cut this stuff out, but I think a lot of my Democratic colleagues in Washington have got to look themselves in the mirror and say, ‘Why is so much of this political violence coming from our side of the spectrum?’” Vance said.
Thousands of people attended the UFC 250 fights at the White House on Sunday, including Trump and members of his family; Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg; elected politicians; and members of the military. Tens of thousands of additional fans watched the event at the Ellipse just south of the White House.
Four of the defendants have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder and face up to life in prison. Proper has been charged with four counts, including attempted murder, and faces up to 45 years in prison.
