Eight charged over alleged plot to attack White House event, officials say

Eight men have been charged with terrorism and murder conspiracies after an alleged plan to attack the UFC Freedom 250 event on the South Lawn of the White House, prosecutors said on the day the event took place on 14 June.

Federal authorities say the suspects, aged 19 to 32, face counts including conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and conspiracy to commit murder on federal government territory, with potential life sentences for the murder charges and up to 15 years for the terrorism offences.

The plot was uncovered after Tycen J Proper’s mother alerted local authorities on 10 June about his large firearms purchases and concerning online communications, according to court filings cited by the FBI.

Prosecutors allege Proper and others discussed grievances about government corruption, Epstein files, and local impacts from data centres, and that the group sought to “jumpstart a revolution in the United States” by targeting the June 14 event.

Officials say the plan included using explosive-laden drones to strike nearby buildings, drawing the crowd toward a sniper team, and then a second wave that would storm the White House gate; the alleged attackers also planned to fire on high-value targets.

Court filings linked another accused, Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, to discussions naming potential targets such as President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Elon Musk, though not all were present at the event.

Authorities say members communicated from March onward using platforms including Signal, Instagram, TikTok and Discord, and that recruitment occurred primarily through TikTok; investigators have not tied the group to any larger organisation.

In addition to Proper and Alvarez, the men charged were identified as Daniel K Eskridge, William LS Falkner, Jordan W Rincker, Bryan O Roa, Michael A Thomas and Chandler D Scaggs, who was arrested this week; an eighth co‑conspirator was arrested in West Virginia this week.

A ninth individual, Alexander Iniguez Mercado, was arrested separately and charged with obstruction of justice for allegedly deleting the Signal app after contact from an FBI agent; he has pleaded not guilty.

The invite-only UFC event drew an estimated 4,300 attendees to the South Lawn, including the president, the vice president, senior cabinet officials and members of Congress, and coincided with President Trump’s 80th birthday.