In mid-June 2026, the FBI and Department of Justice foiled a far-right assassination plot targeting President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and other high-profile figures during the UFC Freedom 250 event held on the White House South Lawn.

 

The UFC match plot: how a far-right group tried to assassinate Trump at his own event

In mid-June 2026, the FBI and Department of Justice foiled a far-right assassination plot targeting President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and other high-profile figures during the UFC Freedom 250 event held on the White House South Lawn. The extremist network intended to deploy explosive-laden drones and position snipers to assassinate "high-value targets" in an effort to jump-start a revolution.

The Attack Strategy

According to unsealed criminal complaints, at least 19 individuals were involved in coordinating a highly structured, multi-phase attack. Their tactical plan included:

• The Distraction: The plotters planned to stage a fake political demonstration near the White House to draw law enforcement away from the South Lawn.
• The Drone Bombing: They intended to fly small, commercial drones carrying explosives over the UFC arena. Detonating these devices was meant to incite mass panic and a chaotic crowd evacuation.
• The Sniper Ambush: As attendees fled toward pre-calculated exit zones, hidden sniper teams were instructed to pick off designated targets.
• The Second Wave: Court documents reveal that a subsequent group of attackers was prepared to physically storm the White House gates amid the chaos.

Targets of the Group

The conspirators compiled a list of high-profile political and billionaire targets attending or associated with the event. Named targets included:

• President Donald Trump
• Vice President JD Vance
• Elon Musk
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
• US Senators Tom Cotton and Marsha Blackburn

Radicalization and Recruitment

The network was organized online, primarily recruiting through TikTok. Once members verified each other's ideological alignment, they moved communications to closed, encrypted groups on Signal and SimpleX.

The group was driven by anti-government sentiment, far-right or ultra-religious extremism, and anger over the Jeffrey Epstein files. Believing the US government was run by corrupt elites, they concluded the nation needed to be entirely torn down and rebuilt.

How the Plot Unraveled

The entire conspiracy collapsed just days before the June 14, 2026 fight.

1.      The Mother's Tip: On June 10, the mother of 19-year-old suspect Tycen Proper contacted local Ohio authorities out of concern over her son’s massive firearms purchases and disturbing, ultra-religious online communications.

2.      The First Arrest: The FBI arrested Proper the day before the match. Authorities seized a tactical vest, thousands of rounds of ammunition, and an assault rifle.

3.      Devices Unlocked: Information extracted from Proper’s phone exposed the encrypted Signal group, named "Hunters," allowing federal agents to trace the co-conspirators.

4.      The Safe Zone Raid: Federal agents raided a decommissioned church in Western, Nebraska, arresting the alleged ringleader, 31-year-old Abraham Alvarez (known online as "The Shepherd"), who had designated the church as the group's post-attack hideout.

Legal and Security Aftermath

As of late June 2026, eight suspects are in federal custody facing charges of conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States.

While the Justice Department described the threat as serious, Vice President JD Vance noted the group was stopped long before reaching the point of execution, lacking the proximity or mature logistics to breach the heavily fortified White House security grid. Following the incident, the Trump administration's DOJ used the plot to argue in federal court that construction should proceed on a highly controversial, drone-proof presidential ballroom on the complex grounds.