WASHINGTON (AP) — A man was arrested in Knox County by Cincinnati FBI agents is one of five total arrests in connection with a plot targeting the UFC 250 fight at the White House, federal court documents say.
Court documents say 19-year-old Tycen Proper was arrested on June 11 after his family members contacted the Knox County Sheriff's Office and Danville Police Department out of concern for "his recent conduct, including firearms purchases and communicating with certain individuals online."
Multiple sources told ABC that around 23 people were allegedly in Signal chats discussing their plans; some of those involved allegedly traveled to Fredericksburg, VA on June 12 or 13, sources said.
Law enforcement officials disrupted “planned attacks” meant to target the UFC cage-fighting show staged at the White House this past weekend for President Donald Trump's birthday, and multiple people were in custody, FBI Director Kash Patel said on Tuesday.
ABC reports multiple sources told them the plot included explosive drones designed to target buildings in the area.
Others arrested were from Missouri and California, said a law enforcement official familiar with the matter. The official spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss information that was not yet public.
The FBI learned about the possible threat on June 10, four days before the mixed martial arts extravaganza on the White House's South Lawn, “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 said in a post on X on Tuesday morning.
The Secret Service "worked around the clock to identify those responsible and hold them accountable,” Director Sean Curran said in a separate statement.
Trump, who celebrated his 80th birthday at the UFC event on Sunday, sought to tie the fights to larger celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Speaking to reporters Tuesday in Évian-les-Bains, France, where he was attending the Group of Seven summit, Trump said he had not been briefed on the thwarted plot.
This is an ongoing story, we will update as more information becomes available.
