An unfolding federal investigation into a thwarted assault on a White House mixed martial arts exhibition has led to the apprehension of two more suspects in Missouri and Washington, The Associated Press reported on Monday.
The additions bring the total number of individuals facing federal charges to seven, following a sweep by law enforcement just days before the June 14 UFC event on the South Lawn.
According to newly unsealed legal filings from Monday, a resident of Belfair, Washington, was taken into custody on Friday, while a 28-year-old was apprehended in Missouri on Sunday. Both are facing federal counts of conspiracy to commit murder.
Neither individual has entered a formal plea.
“Law enforcement continues to do what it does - move to disrupt and hold accountable those allegedly plotting to do harm on the White House Grounds on June 14," Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated in an official release.
Intelligence regarding the threat first reached investigators on June 10. The Justice Department initially unsealed indictments last week against five initial figures spanning California, Nebraska, Missouri, and Ohio. Prosecutors allege the network was driven by extreme fringe conspiracy theories and intended for the violence to trigger a broader government collapse.
The entire counter-terrorism operation sparked after an Ohio mother raised alarms with local police regarding her son's suspicious online activity and recent weapon acquisitions. Her 19-year-old son later confessed to investigators that he belonged to an underground faction attempting to spark a national revolution by targeting federal officials. The group's blueprint involved detonating explosive-rigged drones over the White House crowd and subsequently gunning down fleeing spectators. Proper currently faces firearms violations alongside attempted murder of a US officer or employee.
New details later revealed from the investigation showed that as part of the plan, the suspects sought to harm senior American officials and prominent public figures, including 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.