In a shocking indictment, eight men have been formally charged with murder conspiracy and terrorism-related offences over an alleged plot to carry out a drone and sniper attack on a UFC cage-fighting show held at the White House in June. The charges, which were returned in Ohio, detail two separate conspiracies: one involving the provision of material support to terrorists and another for committing murder on federal government territory.
According to the indictment, the alleged plot began to take shape in May when the group started accumulating a range of supplies, including money, firearms, ammunition, body armour, explosives, drones, medical equipment, and communication devices. Law enforcement officials became aware of a potential threat to the event, which was scheduled to feature former President Donald Trump, on 10th June – just four days before the mixed martial arts extravaganza was due to take place.
The indictment reveals that members of the group harboured extreme conspiracy theories and allegedly hoped the attack would lead to government destabilisation. One defendant reportedly informed investigators of plans to deploy explosive-laden drones into the event, followed by shooting panicked crowd members as they attempted to flee, according to a federal affidavit.
Among those charged were Tycen C. Proper, 19, from Danville, Ohio, and four others who were apprehended in Missouri, Nebraska, and California around the time of the UFC event, dubbed 'Freedom 250'. Two more defendants were subsequently charged and arrested by the FBI approximately a week later in Washington and Missouri. The eighth man, Chandler D. Scaggs, 21, of Chapmanville, West Virginia, was taken into custody this week, according to the Justice Department.
An affidavit suggests that Scaggs was allegedly assigned a role as one of the snipers in the planned assault. He was reportedly meant to be picked up by Proper and transported to Washington, but contact was lost after Proper's arrest. Despite this, Scaggs allegedly signalled his continued willingness to participate in the attack and made arrangements to travel to the event with another co-conspirator.