New details revealed from the investigation into the foiled terrorist plot at the UFC event held on Sunday at the White House paint a troubling picture.
As part of the plan, the suspects sought to harm senior American officials and prominent public figures, including US President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and businessman Elon Musk.
Another figure whose name appeared in the indictment, allegedly as a possible target of the suspects, was Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, although it is unclear whether there was any real intention to target him, as he was not in the United States at the time.
The FBI announced yesterday (Tuesday) that five people had been arrested after an alleged plan to attack the fighting event held on the White House grounds as part of President Trump’s 80th birthday celebrations was thwarted.
According to court documents, members of the group discussed plans to carry out an attack using drones carrying explosives and snipers who were supposed to wait at various points around the compound. It was also reported that the plan included a “second wave," in which armed attackers were supposed to storm the White House gates while firing live rounds.
According to the indictment, as reported by Axios, one of the suspects used coded terms in encrypted conversations to describe targets that investigators believe were likely Trump, Vance, Musk, and Netanyahu.
Another suspect also marked a number of U.S. senators and members of Congress as possible targets. According to a CNN report, the investigation took a major turn on June 10 after the mother of one of the main suspects, 19-year-old Tyson Proffer, contacted police and expressed deep concern about his behavior.
The mother said her son had purchased weapons, contacted associates online, and searched for locations in the Washington area and around the White House. She added that she noticed her son examining various locations for reconnaissance purposes, heard him talking about “hit-and-run" type missions, and noted that he was in contact with a group operating on social media networks and private messaging apps.
Following this information, law enforcement authorities launched an accelerated investigation that led to the identification of the group’s members and their arrests in Ohio, California, Nebraska, and Missouri.
According to the indictment, Proffer admitted to investigators that he had planned with others to attack the U.S. government during the UFC event. The plan included traveling to the Fredericksburg area of Virginia and launching explosive drones over the event venue in order to create mass panic.
Investigators claim that after the crowd was evacuated, snipers and armed attackers positioned in advance were supposed to open fire on high-value targets and security forces.
The investigation documents state that members of the group believed in an ideology seeking to accelerate the collapse of existing society in order to establish a new order in its place. Some members also expressed extreme antisemitic views and focused on politicians they viewed as supporters of Israel.
Suspect Abraham Alvarez, one of those arrested in the case, is accused of discussing attacks against Trump, Vance, Netanyahu, and Musk with the group’s leaders. According to the indictment, Alvarez attempted to locate a drone operator, possessed at least one drone himself, and was involved in efforts to obtain explosives.
Investigators found detailed planning materials in Proffer’s home, including maps and photographs of the Washington area marked with possible sniper positions and drone launch sites.
Proffer’s father told police that his son had recently purchased large amounts of equipment using his graduation money, including weapons, large quantities of ammunition, additional magazines, and tactical vests.
Deputy Secret Service Director Matt Quinn said there are still additional unidentified suspects and that authorities will continue working until everyone involved is located.
Trump himself was asked during the G7 summit in France whether he had been briefed on the threat and briefly replied that he had not heard about it.