Eight men charged over alleged plot to attack Trump at White House UFC event
Eight men in the United States have been accused of planning a drone and shooting attack aimed at Donald Trump during a UFC event held on the lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, in June. Court documents say the alleged plot was intercepted before it could be carried out, and that the case involves terrorism and murder charges. The event, described in the documents as UFC Freedom 250, took place on June 14 and was attended by Trump without incident.
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The indictment, filed before a federal grand jury in Ohio, says the men face two separate conspiracies. According to the court records, the accused are alleged to have provided material support to terrorists and to have planned murder on US government territory, including the killing of a government official. The documents say the group was motivated by fringe conspiracy theories and hoped the attack would destabilise the US government.
The men named in the indictment are Abraham Alvarez, Daniel Eskridge, William Falkner, Tycen Proper, Jordan Rincker, Bryan Roa, Chandler Scaggs and Michael Thomas. They are said to be aged between 19 and 32. The court papers also say the alleged targets included Trump, Vice-President JD Vance, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, billionaire Elon Musk and other high-value targets.
Each defendant faces between 15 years and life in prison if convicted. The case is significant because it involves an alleged attack plan directed at a former president at a high-profile event on federal property. It also comes at a time when US authorities have been treating politically motivated threats and plots as a major security concern.
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The White House lawn is one of the most heavily protected locations in the country, and any alleged attempt to use drones and firearms there would raise questions about how such a plan was developed and detected. FBI director Kash Patel said last month that the plot had been intercepted. Court records say at least five people were taken into custody and 23 others were identified as part of a potential network of co-conspirators.
The documents also refer to explosive-laden drones that were allegedly intended to be flown towards buildings near the White House UFC event. However, the records do not say how close the suspects may have come to carrying out the plan before it was stopped. The alleged plot also highlights the continuing security burden around major political and sporting events in the US capital.
Trump attended the UFC event with Dana White and other Republican politicians on his 80th birthday, and the gathering passed without incident. The fact that the alleged targets included several prominent political and business figures suggests investigators were examining a wider threat picture than a single individual. Court documents say the group began to form the alleged conspiracy before the June event, but the available records do not fully explain how the network operated or what role each suspect is said to have played.
It is also unclear from the filings what evidence led investigators to the alleged drone and shooting plan, or whether all of the people identified by authorities will face charges. The next stage will likely depend on the federal case in Ohio and any further disclosures from investigators. For now, the central questions are how the alleged network was organised, how the FBI identified it, and what additional suspects may still be under scrutiny.
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The case is likely to remain closely watched because it combines terrorism allegations, federal jurisdiction and the security of a former president at a public event. Further court filings may clarify the scope of the alleged conspiracy and the evidence behind the charges.
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