Eight Indicted in Thwarted White House UFC Attack Plot

POLICY WIRE — WASHINGTON D.C. — Eight men have been indicted on murder and terrorism conspiracy charges for their alleged involvement in a thwarted drone and sniper attack targeting a Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event held at the White House in June. The indictment was returned in Ohio, according to law enforcement officials.

The charges encompass two distinct conspiracies: one for providing material support to terrorists and another for conspiring to commit murder on federal government territory and to murder a federal government official. Federal prosecutors allege the group intended to murder President Donald Trump, U.S. Vice-President JD Vance, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, businessman Elon Musk, and “other high value targets” at the event.

Law enforcement officials reported learning about a potential threat to the UFC event, dubbed Freedom 250, on June 10, four days before the mixed martial arts show. The U.S. Justice Department previously announced federal charges against seven individuals last month, originating from states including Ohio, Missouri, Washington, Nebraska, and California. The Justice Department stated this week that an eighth man has now been charged.

According to the indictment, the plot commenced in May, during which the group allegedly began accumulating funds, firearms, ammunition, body armor, explosives, drones, medical equipment, and communications gear. One defendant informed investigators that the plan involved flying explosive-laden drones into the event, followed by shooting crowd members as they attempted to flee, according to a federal affidavit.

The court records don’t specify how close the alleged attackers were to executing their plan before it was thwarted. Officials indicated that members of the group harbored fringe conspiracy theories and aimed for the attack to destabilize the government.

Tycen C. Proper, 19, of Danville, Ohio, was among five individuals arrested and charged in Missouri, Nebraska, and California during the weekend of the UFC event. The FBI subsequently arrested and charged two additional defendants approximately one week later in Washington and Missouri. The eighth defendant, Chandler D. Scaggs, 21, of Chapmanville, W.Va., was taken into custody in that state.

A federal affidavit alleges that Scaggs was assigned to be one of the snipers in the planned attack. The affidavit further stated that Scaggs was reportedly to be picked up by Proper — and transported to Washington. However, Scaggs lost contact with Proper following Proper’s arrest. Despite this, Scaggs allegedly signaled his continued willingness to participate in the attack and arranged to travel to the event with another co-conspirator.

Conspiring to provide material support to terrorists carries a potential penalty of up to 15 years in prison. The charge of conspiring to commit murder is punishable by up to life in prison.