FBI foils drone, sniper plot at White House UFC event
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- Tycen Proper, 19, of Danville, Ohio, was charged with attempted murder of a U.S. officer after telling federal investigators on June 11 he planned drone bombings and sniper strikes to 'jump-start' a revolution at the White House UFC event on June 14
- Authorities arrested four co-conspirators — Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez in Nebraska, Bryan Omar Roa and Michael Alan Thomas in California, and Daniel Eskridge in Missouri — with Alvarez allegedly serving as chief organizer under the moniker 'Shepherd'
- The plot was uncovered after Proper's mother called police on June 10, flagging his recent firearms and ballistic plate purchases, his affiliation with a Christian extremist group on TikTok, and his stated intention to conduct 'hit and run missions'
- Priority targets included President Trump, VP Vance, Israeli PM Netanyahu (who did not attend), Elon Musk, and specific lawmakers: Sens. Tom Cotton, Marsha Blackburn, Jim Justice, Shelley Moore Capito, and Reps. Carol Miller and Riley Moore
- FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau learned of the threat four days before the event and that 'planned attacks were stopped cold' through a multi-state operation with the Department of Justice and Secret Service
Why it matters: The case shows how a domestic terror plot — allegedly inspired by a mix of anti-Israel sentiment, anti-government ideology, and admiration for Hitler — was disrupted at a high-profile political event attended by the president on his 80th birthday, with the FBI crediting a mother's tip as the initial trigger that unraveled a multi-state conspiracy.
