A San Bernardino County man was among five of the ringleaders in a plot to use explosive-carrying drones to disrupt the UFC cage-fighting event President Donald Trump staged at the White House on Sunday, June 14 and have snipers pick off members of the panicked crowd as they fled from the scene.
Those involved evinced antigovernment sentiments, which in part appeared to be religiously based, and indicated their overriding belief in specific conspiracy theories, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
No action was taken on June 14 to put the plot into play, as logistics issues plagued some of the would-be actors and the government’s reaction prevented certain specific steps that were being planned from being taken. Federal agents recovered firearms from several of the suspects who had communicated with one another both in the open and using encrypted messaging. Those seizures were made as agents served arrest warrants.
The agents were able to obtain further encrypted text messages as a result of the surprise raids. Those messages implicate roughly 20 individuals who were passing between themselves maps, outlines and aerial photographs of the area, as well as referencing the need to secure a “safe house” and map out routes of escape after the attack, documents shared with the media by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles show.
On June 16, the Justice Department announced charges against five men – Tycen C. Proper, Bryan Omar Roa, Michael Alan Thomas, Daniel K. Eskridge and Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez – for an alleged plot to carry out an attack to kill government officials and others attending the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Freedom 250 event held on the grounds at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation launched an investigation into the plot and identified a core group of conspirators who procured weapons and made plans to carry out the attack. The FBI made arrests over the weekend in Ohio, Missouri, Nebraska, and California.
“The investigation remains ongoing,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated on June 16.
According to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “The FBI, our law enforcement partners and our U.S. Attorneys did what they do every day to make America Safe through quick response and vigilance in investigating, disrupting, and dismantling this alleged plan before it could be carried out. We will take immediate and aggressive action to identify and prosecute those who incite and plan acts of violence.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said, “On June 10, FBI and our law enforcement partners became aware of a potential threat to the UFC America 250 event in Washington, D.C. involving individuals outside of the National Capital Region — and thanks to the rapid action of this 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. While the result represented the best of investigative work, it was also nothing out of the ordinary for this law enforcement team — we are built to detect, respond to, and bring to justice those who threaten the lives of American citizens — particularly during large gatherings like the historic UFC 250 fight. That’s exactly what we did here. I want to thank our great agents and partners. This work remains ongoing and we will continue to update the public as permitted.”
According to the charges, Tycen C. Proper, 19, of Danville, Ohio; 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, conspired to plan and execute a mass casualty event targeting U.S. officials in attendance at UFC Freedom 250 hosted on the White House grounds.
According to filed complaints in the Southern District of Ohio, the Western District of Missouri, the District of Nebraska, and the Central District of California, investigators interviewed Proper at a medical facility on June 11. During the interview, Proper said that before executing the plan, he and other conspirators intended to rendezvous in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where they were to finalize a coordinated attack against the U.S. government during the UFC event at the White House. He said members of the group who wanted to participate in the attack began communicating with each other around March. More serious members of the group, including Proper, moved their communications to an encrypted chat app.
The conspirators allegedly planned to deploy drones armed with explosives in and around the UFC Freedom 250 event, detonate them over the north side of the UFC arena, thereby forcing high value targets to evacuate the premises, whereupon snipers would be deployed to fire upon specific individuals within the fleeing crowd.
Proper allegedly amassed firearms, thousands of rounds of ammunition, and tactical gear at his home in Ohio, and he identified potential targets, including multiple members of Congress.
Roa said his participation in the mayhem was thwarted when he was unable to get to Washington, D.C. because his vehicle malfunctioned, according to authorities.
According to the complaint filed in the Central District of California, law enforcement executed a search warrant of Roa’s residence and vehicle where they allegedly seized a rifle, handgun, tactical belt, ammunition and a rifle magazine, a two-way radio, and an infrared laser target pointer. A search of Roa’s phone allegedly found messages in a group with Thomas, Proper, and others discussing an attack at the UFC event at the White House, with some users discussing using drones rigged with explosives to initiate the attack, with rooftop snipers killing individuals. Law enforcement also allegedly found Instagram videos Roa had posted of himself shooting guns.
During his voluntary interview with law enforcement on June 11, 2026, Proper said that an individual with the online username “Whiskey Six Amerika” was one of the primary individuals involved in planning the attack at UFC Freedom 250 and that this individual provided information during the planning phases. During a review of Proper’s cellular phone, investigators identified Signal user “whiskey_six(CA) {Amerika}” as one of the co-conspirators. whiskey_six(CA) {Amerika}, along with other co-conspirators, was in a Signal group called “Hunters.” During the review of Proper’s phone, investigators also located a SimpleX user with the name “Whiskey_Six{AmeriKa}.” That SimpleX user sent Proper identifying documents showing that his true address was a residence in Pinon Hills and that his true name was Michael Allen Thomas.
According to the complaint filed in the Central District of California, Thomas participated in a group chat planning the attack. In one chat exchange, on June 7, he wrote “$1300 gets us the drones and the charges. Yes we should all pitch in and we need it asap…”
In another group chat, Thomas, using a pseudonym, described “tiers” of operators within the anti-government group, with tier 1 being operators on the ground, tier 2 being drivers and drone operators, tier 3 being logistical suppliers, and tier 4 being social media influencers. On May 23, 2026, Thomas characterized the tiers of operators, stating: “Tier 1 operators may be asked to put themselves in harms way, break the law, and potentially go into hiding. Tier 2 would consist of get away drivers, drone operators, and direct support. May still be asked to seriously break the law. Tier 3 may be a runner, or part of the Underground Railroad. Indirect support, recruitment, supply, logistics, tech.. still actively contributing, but most likely safe from legal issues. Tier 4 social media influencers, protesters, funders, press, followers…nobody being asked for much or taking any risks. Tier one status is not something to take lightly. You will be sacrificing for your country, and carrying a brunt of the weight. I want to make that clear that we will all sacrifice for tier one operators. We will make sure they have an escape plan, backup plan, transportation, three meals a day and a defense position to hide out. All the tier 2 support we can provide. We will try to break them out of jail if we need to.
In the same group chats, Thomas discussed meeting with Roa in person in Southern California in order to conduct “marksmen training” and reflected that the group needed to train for “gorilla style warfare.”
The “Hunters” Signal group, which included Thomas, Proper and other co-conspirators, contained detailed instructions for carrying out the attack at UFC Freedom 250, including plans to safely escape after the attack. Screenshots from Proper’s phone regarding those plans extended to aerial photos and maps of locations in and around Washington, D.C. that included the White House and discussed where snipers should be placed and where drones should be launched.
A May 21, 2026 message on SimpleX between Roa and Thomas in a chatroom titled “Vanguard of the Old Republic,” which contained multiple other co-conspirators showcased Thomas’ violent ideology. He wrote: “To be clear, I intend to escalate this group, and I don’t want to take 6business years to do it” and that everyone in the group should “consider yourselves an enemy of the state.” In response to another co-conspirator, Thomas wrote “Ok, big picture. Got it. So, to be precise, you’re imagining executions right?”
On June 13, the FBI served a search warrant at Thomas’ Pinon Hills residence and found a hunting rifle, an AR-style rifle, 30-round extended magazines for the AR-style rifle filled with approximately 180 rounds of ammunition, and a pistol. Additionally, Thomas spoke with law enforcement and admitted to helping plan the attack and encouraging others to take part in it.
Eskridge was charged with conspiracy to commit murder on White House grounds. According to an affidavit filed in the Western District of Missouri, the FBI identified Eskridge while reviewing electronic communications on Proper’s cell phone. The co-conspirators had electronic chats on encrypted social media platforms. In those chats, members of the group allegedly discussed assassinating several U.S. senators, members of the House of Representatives, and prominent business executives. Members of the group targeted some legislators based on the group’s perceived belief that the legislators accepted money from pro-Israel lobbies. When discussing potential targets, Eskridge indicated that the target was “big and someone a majority of the country knows.” In the discussions, power grids were also identified as potential targets. On May 22, Eskridge distributed a picture of tactical equipment, including a rifle, helmet, and ballistic vest.
Director Sean M Curran of the U.S. Secret Service said, “Protecting the President of the United States and the White House grounds is priority number one for the U.S. Secret Service. The landscape has changed, and as a result we have seen a dramatic rise in threats against our protectees. I am proud of the men and women of the Secret Service that vigorously monitor, investigate, and arrest those that plot to interfere with our protective mission. We are grateful for our extraordinary partnerships we share with the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of Justice, Acting Attorney General Blanche, FBI- Joint Terrorism Task Forces,, Park Police, and District of Columbia Police.”
-Mark Gutglueck