Eight indicted in an alleged plot to attack a UFC event at the White House

Federal prosecutors have indicted eight men over an alleged plot to attack a UFC fight night held at the White House last month, an event that took place without incident during the nation's 250th-anniversary celebrations. The charges include conspiracy to commit murder and to support terrorism; the accused are presumed innocent.

Julian Mercado July 10, 2026 at 1:54 AM

The Justice Department says a plot to attack a UFC event at the White House was disrupted before it could be carried out, and that eight men now face federal charges over it. The event itself, held in June, went off safely.

The charges

A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Ohio indicted eight men on charges including conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, ESPN reported, citing the case brought by federal prosecutors. Among those named in the indictment are Tycen C. Proper, 19, of Ohio, and Chandler D. Scaggs, 21, of West Virginia, PBS News reported. Six others, from several states, were also charged. An indictment is an allegation, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted.

What prosecutors allege

According to authorities, the group began planning earlier this year and acquired weapons, ammunition, body armor and drones, PBS News reported. Investigators described an alleged plan that involved flying explosive-laden drones into the event and firing on people as they fled. Prosecutors said members of the group held extremist beliefs and hoped an attack would destabilize the government, ESPN reported. These are the government's assertions, which the defendants will have the chance to contest in court.

The event that was targeted

The alleged target was a UFC card staged at the White House on June 14, part of the country's 250th-anniversary festivities, with the fights held on the South Lawn. Law enforcement said it learned of the alleged threat days before the event, PBS News reported. The card went ahead as scheduled, and no attack occurred.

Arrests and the case ahead

Several of the defendants were taken into custody around the time of the event, and others were arrested in the days that followed, with the last of the eight charged as the indictment was made public, PBS News reported. The most serious charge can carry a lengthy prison term. The case now moves into the federal courts, where prosecutors will have to prove the allegations, and where the defendants are entitled to a defense.

The takeaway

Staging a marquee sporting event on the grounds of the White House was always going to be a security undertaking. That the government now says it headed off a plot against it, while the event proceeded safely, is both a claim of success and a reminder of the risks such high-profile spectacles carry. Whether the allegations hold up will be settled not in a news release but in a courtroom.