FBI Foils White House Drone & Sniper Plot Targeting UFC Event

​WASHINGTON — Federal law enforcement officials have disrupted a sophisticated, multi-phase terror plot aimed at executing a mass-casualty attack during Sunday’s historic “UFC Freedom 250” cage-fighting event on the White House South Lawn, according to newly unsealed court documents.

​The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Secret Service confirmed Tuesday that five suspects have been taken into custody across multiple states, including Ohio, Missouri, and California. The suspects are accused of planning to detonate explosive-laden drones over the White House grounds to spark a stampede, driving high-profile attendees and thousands of fans directly into the crosshairs of a pre-staged sniper team.

​A Plot to ‘Jumpstart a Revolution’

​According to an FBI affidavit, the conspirators were allegedly driven by anti-government extremist views, stating that the United States “needed to be torn down so that it could be rebuilt.”

​Interrogations and recovered data revealed that the attackers explicitly targeted what they termed “capitalist elites,” “billionaires,” and politicians who had received campaign contributions from pro-Israel organizations like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Suspects also cited anger over the handling of investigative files related to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as part of their motivation.

​The unsealed records identify one of the key suspects as Tycen Proper, a 19-year-old Ohio man. The FBI’s breakthrough came on June 10 after Proper’s mother contacted local law enforcement to voice concerns over her son’s recent firearms purchases and alarming online communications. Following Proper’s initial arrest in Cincinnati, investigators searched his iPhone and uncovered an intricate web of coordination.

​The group originally organized through a TikTok channel called “Vanguard of the Old” before migrating their operational planning to the end-to-end encrypted messaging platform Signal. Federal agents discovered a primary chat involving roughly 20 participants sharing detailed maps of the White House complex, arranging escape routes, and seeking secure “safe houses.”

​Multi-Phase Terror Scheme

​According to the unsealed filings, the operation was designed to unfold in precise, devastating waves:

• ​Phase 1 (The Decoy): Detonating explosive-laden drones over the north side of the White House to trigger widespread panic and force a mass evacuation.

• ​Phase 2 (The Ambush): Forcing the fleeing crowd toward designated exits where hidden snipers would open fire on fleeing attendees.
• ​Phase 3 (The Siege): Utilizing a second wave of attackers to storm the weakened gates of the White House complex.

​In the days leading up to the fight, several members traveled to Fredericksburg, Virginia, on June 12 and 13 to make final tactical preparations, amass body armor, and gather tactical gear. At least three of the five suspects currently in custody have been hit with severe charges, including conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy against the United States.

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​Elite Security Shielded ‘The Claw’

​The combat sports extravaganza, which coincided with President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday, went off entirely without incident on Sunday. A temporary outdoor arena dubbed “The Claw” hosted approximately 4,300 attendees on the South Lawn, including 1,200 active-duty service members.

​The star-studded event was attended by President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and top administration officials including Secret Service Director Sean Curran, FBI Director Kash Patel, War Secretary Pete Hegseth, and tech billionaire Mark Zuckerberg.

​Security for the event—funded entirely by UFC CEO Dana White at a local policing cost approaching $12 million—involved heavily fortified outer perimeters, sweeping road closures near the National Mall, and anti-aircraft defenses handled by the Secret Service, U.S. Park Police, and D.C. Metropolitan Police.

​Speaking from the G7 Summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, President Trump told reporters he had not been briefed on the plot before it was made public on Tuesday. However, Vice President JD Vance emphasized the gravity of the threat in an interview with Fox News, noting that a plot of this scale pointed to deep coordination. “Twenty-three people do not get to the point where they’re going to commit a mass terror incident in Washington, D.C., without some serious funding, without some serious coordination,” Vance stated.

​In a public statement shared on X, FBI Director Kash Patel praised the rapid, 12-office interagency operation that stopped the plot “cold.”

​”While the result represented the best of investigative work, it was also nothing out of the ordinary for this law enforcement team,” Patel wrote. “We are built to detect, respond to, and bring to justice those who threaten the lives of American citizens.”