An Ohio mom who was concerned about her son's recent firearms purchases and online activity called police just days before the 19-year-old from Knox County and others allegedly planned to carry out an attack on the UFC Freedom 250 fight at the White House in June.
Court documents say police visited the Danville home of Tycen Proper late on the night of June 10. Proper's parents told them he had been planning to leave that weekend to meet people he'd met online.
Proper had recently used about $3,000 of high school graduation money to buy camping gear, food, ballistic plates, a new shotgun, a rifle and "lots" of ammunition, officials say.
The tip led to an investigation that has so far seen eight men from several states indicted on murder conspiracy and terrorism conspiracy charges for an alleged plot to terrorize and kill guests at a UFC fight held on the White House grounds in Washington, D.C. on June 14.
"This is a classic example of 'see something, say something,' saving lives and how the law enforcement partnership comes together to keep our community safe," said Jason Cromartie, Special Agent in Charge for FBI Cincinnati.
Cromartie and other officials shared details of the investigation and indictments on Friday at the U.S. Southern District of Ohio Attorney's Office in Columbus.
"The allegations in this indictment, we allege, show that these men were not simply airing grievances from behind their keyboards and sharing like-minded political ideologies. Rather, they took action to carry out a plot to attack the UFC Freedom 250 event and to murder federal officials at the highest levels of our governments," said District Attorney Dominick Gerace.
The eight men reportedly used monikers as they joined groups on platforms like Signal, SimpleX, Discord, TikTok and Instagram. They created a system with "tiers" of participation for a plot, with "tier one" people committing "to put themselves in harms [sic] way, break the law, and potentially go into hiding."
Gerace said it appears the group began discussing a possible plot in May, with the UFC fight crystalizing as their target in early June.
Proper told investigators that the plan involved staging a demonstration on one side of the White House as a distraction. Members of the group would then fly drones armed with explosives over the opposite end of the UFC arena. When the drones detonated, forcing attendees to evacuate, snipers would be waiting.
The group identified targets that included President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Israel's Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu and Elon Musk, as well as a handful of lawmakers the group saw as being pro-Israel.
"According to Proper, this attack was designed to 'jumpstart' a revolution in the United States," the criminal complaint reads.
"They agreed to commit an illegal act and they were taking overt acts in furtherance of that conspiracy."- D.S. Attorney Dominick Gerace
Proper's mother told police that she believed the group was upset about the handing of the Epstein Files and data centers using too much water, among other things. Proper had also reportedly made "concerning statements" in recent months and had posted anti-Semitic comments online.
The men who have been indicted in the alleged plot are between the ages 19 and 32, and hail from Nebraska, Missouri, Washington, California and West Virginia. Proper, who was known in the group as "Prox," is the only Ohioan.
Gerace said Abraham Alvarez, 31, of Omaha, also called "Shepherd," seemed to be the group's leader, but noted that all the men were co-conspirators.
"They agreed to commit an illegal act and they were taking overt acts in furtherance of that conspiracy," Gerace said. "These folks had amassed ammunition, had amassed weapons, were looking at 3D printers for drones and had travel plans to go to D.C."
One man, Bryan Roa, 25, of California, began to drive toward D.C., Gerace said.
"His car broke down, but he was on his way," Gerace said.
Gerace said two of the eight men are in custody in the U.S. Southern District of Ohio. The other six are being detained in other districts, but will likely be transferred to Ohio to face charges.
Gerace did not rule out the possibility that more people could be charged in connection with the alleged terror plot.
