Two more arrested in White House drone plot investigation

Federal investigators moved after learning of a possible threat on June 10, four days before the UFC Freedom 250 event on the White House South Lawn, and the case widened again with two more arrests in Washington state and Missouri. The new charges brought the total number of defendants to seven in a fast-moving counterterrorism investigation centered on protecting government officials and other attendees at one of the year’s most closely watched political gatherings.

William Lee Spartacus Falkner was arrested midday Friday, June 19, in Washington state and later appeared in U.S. District Court in Tacoma. The Justice Department said Falkner was allegedly part of a conspiracy to procure and fly explosive-laden drones. Jordan W. Rincker, 28, of St. Joseph, Missouri, was arrested Sunday, June 21, and appeared in U.S. District Court in Kansas City. Prosecutors said Rincker allegedly possessed weapons and agreed to produce drone parts for use in the plot.

The two new arrests followed the June 16 charges against five other men, Tycen C. Proper of Danville, Ohio; Bryan Omar Roa of Calimesa, California; Michael Alan Thomas of Pinon Hills, California; Daniel K. Eskridge of Kidder, Missouri; and Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez of Omaha, Nebraska. Prosecutors charged that group with conspiracy to commit murder, saying the alleged scheme involved procuring weapons and planning a mass-casualty attack.

Officials said the FBI, the Secret Service, and state and local partners mounted a multi-state operation to disrupt the alleged plot before it could be carried out. The Justice Department said the investigation began in the Southern District of Ohio after the FBI first became aware of a potential threat on June 10, then quickly expanded as investigators tracked suspects and evidence across multiple states.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel praised the work of federal, state, and local law enforcement after the arrests were announced. Prosecutors said the case remains active and is being handled as a counterterrorism and national security investigation, underscoring how quickly threats can move across state lines when a high-profile event draws officials, security forces, and large crowds into the same perimeter.