WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Justice announced it thwarted a plot to assassinate Donald Trump and other elected officials during a UFC event scheduled for June 14, 2026, on the South Lawn of the White House. Eight individuals are in custody in connection with the plot, which investigators state involved at least 19 people.

Among those arrested is 19-year-old Tycen Proper, who lived in an Ohio town near Amish country. According to court documents, Proper used at least $3,000 in graduation money to purchase a rifle, a shotgun, body armor, and ammunition. An affidavit states he quit his job to plan a project with people he met online. Proper's parents told police they feared what their son was planning, and his mother observed him studying maps of Washington, D.C. His mother also stated her son had recently become more religious.

Investigators found a diary belonging to Proper in which he wrote that the government sought to control people and sacrifice children to a demonic figure. In social media posts, Proper praised Adolf Hitler. An affidavit states Proper had joined an online group whose members identified themselves as ex-military and shared a Christian-based ideology, expressing ultra-religious and anti-government sentiments.

Many plotters initially connected through TikTok before migrating to closed groups on encrypted messaging applications Signal and SimpleX after verifying identities. Court documents indicate the group sorted themselves into tiers based on risk tolerance, and some members met in person for tactical training.

The alleged conspirators planned to stage a demonstration near the White House as a diversion for law enforcement. They intended to use drone-borne explosives at the UFC event to cause a panicked evacuation, with marksmen targeting individuals fleeing the area, according to court documents. A second wave of attackers was intended to storm the White House. One alleged conspirator described the planned attack as "a fucking bloodbath." The conspirators believed their attack would initiate a second American Revolution.

Abraham Alvarez, 31, is identified as an alleged ringleader. Michael Alan Thomas, 32, another alleged conspirator, indicated he believes the U.S. government is run by an elite group that sacrifices and consumes infants and was involved with Jeffrey Epstein, according to an affidavit. Thomas also places some responsibility for government corruption on Jewish people, blaming them and Israel for the war with Iran. The plotters held far-right views but intended to target Republican officials, selecting targets using a leftwing website that tracks politicians receiving donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.