Five men charged in alleged plot to attack White House UFC event

A mother’s warning about weapons, ammunition and her son’s mindset sent police to a Danville, Ohio, home on June 10, four days before federal prosecutors say Tycen Proper and four other men plotted to attack a White House UFC event. The case now stretches across four states, but the first known alarm came from a family member who kept pressing until law enforcement responded.

Tycen Proper, 19, of Danville, is one of five men charged in connection with the alleged scheme, the Justice Department said. The other defendants are 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. Federal authorities said the FBI opened the investigation and arrests were made in Ohio, Missouri, Nebraska and California, while the investigation remains ongoing.

ABC News reported that Proper’s mother first called her cousin, the chief deputy of the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, and said she was worried about her son’s weapons, ammunition and state of mind. The deputy chief then asked if a Danville police officer could go to the home, and dispatch later sent an officer after the mother said she wanted the issue on the record. In the call, she said officers had already removed guns and ammunition from her son’s room and taken them off the property.

Local reporting said the mother also raised concerns with the Danville Police Department and Knox County Sheriff’s Office about Proper’s recent conduct, firearms purchases and online communications. Court filings later described encrypted group chats found on Proper’s iPhone that investigators say laid out an alleged attack in Washington, D.C.

Prosecutors say the plan involved explosive-laden drones intended to force a mass evacuation, followed by shooters targeting fleeing spectators and “high value targets.” ABC News and CNBC reported that Proper allegedly described the attack as a way to “jumpstart” a revolution in the United States. ABC News said five people were in custody as of Tuesday morning.

The intended target was UFC Freedom 250 at the White House, which ABC News said had been designated a Special Event Assessment Review 1 gathering, the same security tier as the Super Bowl, Indianapolis 500 and Kentucky Derby. About 4,000 guests were expected on the White House South Lawn for the invitation-only portion, with a larger crowd on The Ellipse. The event was tied to America’s 250th anniversary and Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.

CNBC reported that some Secret Service officials believed FBI Director Kash Patel moved too quickly by publicly disclosing details of a still-sealed investigation. The Justice Department has credited the FBI, Justice Department, Secret Service and other partners with stopping the alleged plot before it could be carried out, but the path to that intervention began with one mother’s repeated warnings and a local dispatch call that brought an officer to the door.