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By Jordan King
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Newly unsealed court affidavits offer the clearest picture yet of how investigators say a group of men planned a coordinated attack on a UFC event held on the White House grounds, an alleged plot built around drones, sniper positions and crowd manipulation.
The filings against five suspects, reviewed by Newsweek, include maps marked with operational positions, screenshots of encrypted group chats and photographs of firearms and tactical equipment. Together, they lay out what prosecutors describe as a multiphase attack plan against politicians and other "high‑value targets" attending Sunday's event in Washington, D.C.
One of the maps recovered by investigators appears to show proposed sniper and drone positions around the White House, with handwritten notes instructing members to "position your teams in the purple dots" and identifying what was described as an "easy out into the river."
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The group allegedly planned to stage a demonstration on the north side of the White House while explosive-laden drones detonated above the UFC arena, forcing crowds and designated high-value targets to evacuate south toward men armed with long rifles.
Named targets included Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, West Virginia Senators Jim Justice and Shelley Moore Capito, and West Virginia Representatives Carol Miller and Riley Moore, according to the affidavit for Tycen Proper, a 19-year-old from Ohio who faces several charges in connection with the alleged plot, including conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States.
Text messages about these targets said they had received money from "pro-Israel PACs," according to the affidavit.
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Proper and four other suspects—Bryan Omar Roa, Michael Alan Thomas, Daniel Eskridge and Abraham Alvarez—had been interacting online in a group that described itself as ex-military and Christian, Proper's mother told the FBI.
"They expressed ultra-religious and anti-government sentiments, specifically citing grievances about government corruption, the handling of the Epstein files, data centers taking up all the water in communities and other government actions," FBI Special Agent Christopher S. Betts wrote in the affidavit.
Agents interviewed Proper on June 11, while Eskridge, 32, who investigators say used the online name "Fulcrum," was arrested on June 13 at his home in Kidder, Missouri. Alvarez, 31, who investigators say operated under the online alias "Shepherd" and acted as a leader within the group, was arrested on June 14 in Omaha, Nebraska. Roa, 24, and Thomas, 32, were both arrested in California.
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Inside the Network Behind the Alleged Plot
Much of what is known about the alleged conspiracy comes from devices owned by Proper, whose family first alerted authorities after becoming concerned about his behavior and stockpiling of weapons and tactical equipment.
The teenager told investigators he had become part of an online network that initially connected through TikTok before moving to encrypted messaging platforms, including Signal and SimpleX. A primary chat consisted of about 19 individuals, with smaller groups of about four or five people separated by role assignments and location, a court document said.
Members exchanged images of equipment and discussed their plans for the attack, which included possible escape routes, it continued.
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Proper identified Roa and Thomas, who are from Southern California, to FBI agents who tracked them down on social media and found images of Roa participating in tactical shooting exercises in a remote desert area, according to an affidavit.
Messages show that Roa and Thomas met at least once to practice shooting together, which Thomas said was part of training for guerrilla style warfare, the document said.
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Maps, Weapons and the Plan for UFC Freedom 250
Some of the most striking evidence contained in the newly released affidavits was recovered from the suspects' devices, including annotated maps, screenshots of encrypted chats and photographs of weapons allegedly intended for use during the operation.
One of the annotated maps also refers to "counter sniper and drones" and appears to show multiple colored markers positioned around the White House complex, suggesting planners had identified specific locations for teams to operate from and routes they could use to leave the area after the attack.
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Other screenshots appear to show reconnaissance and mission-planning discussions. One image highlights waterways and islands near Washington and includes annotations saying, "These are all roads" and "They will pick you up here"—suggesting plans for extraction after the alleged attack.
Additional images were labeled "Sniper 1," "Drone launch point and snipers nest" and "Sniper 2 and drone launch point," indicating that the alleged planners had begun assigning specific operational roles and locations.
Photographs included elsewhere in the court filings show rifles, ammunition, body armor and tactical equipment seized during the investigation.
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The planning images take on added significance when viewed alongside photographs and video from UFC Freedom 250. Images from the event show President Donald Trump seated ringside next to first lady Melania Trump. And Blackburn, the senator from Tennessee, posted a photo of herself with her grandson standing outside the venue.
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What Happens Next
The five suspects arrested in connection with the alleged plot are facing a range of federal charges, with prosecutors saying they played different roles in planning the attack.
Proper has been charged with conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States, attempted murder of a federal officer or employee, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and receiving or transferring a firearm with knowledge that it would be used to commit a felony.
Thomas and Roa have each been charged with conspiracy to commit murder, along with Eskridge.
Alvarez has been charged with conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States and conspiracy to commit murder.
Under federal law, several of the charges carry potential sentences of life imprisonment, with additional mandatory time for firearm offenses if convictions are secured.
Read Criminal Complaints From Foiled UFC White House Attack
Foiled-UFC-White-House-Attack-s-Criminal-Complaints.pdf.PDF
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