Federal authorities say they stopped a planned attack on a UFC fight held at the White House over the weekend — an attack that allegedly involved explosives-laden drones flown over the event followed by gunfire into the fleeing crowd.

Five people have been arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder, among other counts. Court documents unsealed Tuesday describe a larger network of up to 19 people suspected of involvement, who investigators say shared maps and photos of the area and discussed escape routes for after the planned attack. Firearms, ammunition, and encrypted text messages were recovered during the investigation.

FBI Director Kash Patel said law enforcement learned of the threat just four days before the event. "And thanks to the rapid action of the FBI, our partners, and the Department of Justice in a multi-state operation, multiple individuals are now in custody and allegedly planned attacks were stopped cold," Patel wrote on X.

Secret Service Director Sean Curran said his agency worked closely with the FBI throughout the investigation. "In the days leading up to this weekend, our special agents, mission support personnel, and technical security teams worked around the clock to identify those responsible and hold them accountable," Curran said.

The event itself went forward as planned Sunday evening — a UFC mixed martial arts card held on the White House South Lawn, featuring 14 fighters competing beneath a 92-foot structure called "The Claw," set up to mark President Trump's 80th birthday and the nation's 250th anniversary. Security around the complex was visibly heavy, with blocked roads, crowd fencing, and hundreds of federal, state, and local officers deployed around the thousands of attendees.

Asked about the foiled plot at the G7 summit in France, President Trump said simply, "I haven't heard about it. The attack that I watched was the fighters."

Who Was Arrested

Among those taken into custody was 19-year-old Tycen Proper, arrested in Ohio, where authorities recovered thousands of rounds of ammunition along with an assault-style rifle and a bullpup rifle painted with an American flag that he had purchased on June 5.

Proper's mother had already called local police about her son's "recent conduct," including his firearms purchases and communications with strangers online. According to court documents she also reported he had made concerning statements, including sympathetic comments about Adolf Hitler and antisemitic posts on Facebook. When Knox County sheriff's officers arrived at the family home they had him taken to a hospital for emergency admission based on homicidal ideations. The sheriff's office contacted the FBI the next day.

Proper's mother also told investigators he had recently begun interacting with an online group whose members claimed to be ex-military and Christian-based. After his arrest he identified usernames of other people in encrypted group chats.

Daniel Eskridge, 32, of Missouri was also arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder after a search of his home over the weekend. Chats reviewed by the FBI show Eskridge telling group members he was preparing his garage as a "safe house" and building a "bunker" under the floorboards of his shed.

Another suspect, Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, allegedly shared a screenshot listing potential targets using numerical and letter codes. The FBI says it believes the list referred to President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Elon Musk.

Two California men, Bryan Omar Roa and Michael Alan Thomas, were arrested Saturday and charged with conspiracy to commit murder after evidence was found in searches of their homes. Roa's family told investigators he had been shooting his weapons more frequently in recent months and had shown a marked change in behavior after beginning to spend time with a new group of online friends.

A Pattern That Keeps Repeating

The thread running through nearly every arrest in this case is the same — family members noticing something was wrong and reaching out to authorities before anyone else did. A mother calling police about her son's gun purchases and online behavior. A family noticing a relative drifting toward a new group of online friends and becoming increasingly fixated on weapons. These are the kinds of warning signs that threat assessment experts have spent years trying to get families and communities to recognize and report.

Behavioral threat assessment research consistently shows that people who go on to commit targeted violence rarely do so without some observable change beforehand — withdrawal from previous relationships, sudden immersion in a new ideological community, escalating weapons acquisition, or explicit statements about violence shared with people close to them.

The FBI and many state and local law enforcement agencies now operate dedicated threat assessment units specifically designed to receive and evaluate these kinds of family and community tips before a plot can be carried out, which appears to be exactly what happened here.

The investigation into this latest plot remains ongoing, and officials have not ruled out additional arrests as they continue working through the encrypted communications and broader network identified during the operation.

Curious for more stories that keep you informed and entertained? From the latest headlines to everyday insights, YourLifeBuzz has more to explore. Dive into what’s next.