In Brief
- The FBI obtained encrypted text messages between roughly 20 participants outlining the alleged attack.
- A 19-year-old has been arrested in relation to the planned attack which was organised through online chat groups.
In a dramatic intervention, US law enforcement authorities have successfully disrupted a planned assault on a high-profile UFC cage-fighting event, recently held at the White House. This revelation comes from newly unsealed court documents that shed light on the thwarted plot.
The conspirators, reportedly dissatisfied with the state of the nation, had envisioned a violent attack involving the use of drones equipped with explosives. Their chilling plan included shooting at attendees as they attempted to flee the chaos.
According to the court papers, the FBI intercepted encrypted communications among approximately 20 individuals involved in the scheme. These messages contained detailed maps of the area, alongside discussions about establishing a “safe house” and planning escape routes post-attack.
While the court records do not specify how close the conspirators were to executing their plan, it is clear that their intentions were serious. The plot was uncovered and dismantled last week, just in the nick of time.
FBI agents first caught wind of the potential threat on June 10, mere days before the mixed martial arts spectacle was set to take place on the White House’s South Lawn. This swift action underscores the importance of vigilance and rapid response in safeguarding national security.
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“Thanks to the rapid action of the 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,” director Kash Patel said in a post to X on Tuesday.
Five people were arrested from states including Ohio, Missouri and California, a law enforcement official familiar with the matter said.
The official spoke to the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss information that was not yet public.
Among those arrested was Tycen Proper, a 19-year-old Ohio man whose mother contacted local law enforcement last week with concerns about his firearms purchases and online communications, according to an FBI affidavit filed in the case.
An assistant federal public defender assigned to represent Proper, who is charged with crimes including attempted murder of an officer or employee of the United States, did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
Proper admitted in an interview with law enforcement that he participated in the planning of an attack, according to the affidavit, which says some members of the group began communicating with each other last March through a TikTok group called “Vanguard of the Old”.
“The members of the group stated that they wanted to protect the United States, which they believed was headed in the wrong direction,” the affidavit says.
“Members of the group believed that the United States needed to be torn down so that it could be rebuilt.
“Some expressed a desire that people who were involved with Jeffrey Epstein should not govern the country.”
President Donald Trump was friends with Epstein many years ago, but has said he ended their relationship before the disgraced financier’s crimes became known.
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