Ohio suspect arrested as UFC terror plot ‘stopped cold’ by FBI

Ohio suspect arrested as UFC terror plot ‘stopped cold’ by FBI FBI Director: Group targeted Sunday’s UFC events at White House CINCINNATI (WXIX) - A 19-year-old Central Ohio man is among multiple suspects under arrest and accused of plotting to use explosive drones for attacks at Sunday’s UFC cage-fighting show at the White House for President Donald Trump’s birthday, according to the FBI and court records unsealed Tuesday. Agents with the Cincinnati Division of the FBI arrested Tycen Proper of Knox County last week. The investigation remains ongoing with others arrested in California, Missouri and Nebraska, according to federal officials. Proper is held without bond at the Franklin County Jail on four federal charges that could send him to prison for decades, if not the rest of his life: - Conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States, punishable by up to 5 years in prison. - Attempted murder of a federal official, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. - Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. This charge has a mandatory minimum of 5 years and a maximum of life imprisonment. - Receipt or transfer of a firearm that will be used to commit a felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Agents first picked up on the threat Wednesday, June 10, and quickly moved in to make the initial arrest in Ohio, FBI Director Kash Patel announced Tuesday morning. A multi-state operation across at least a dozen FBI field offices “stopped the attacks cold,” he wrote in a post on X. The Secret Service also worked around the clock to identify suspects and “hold them accountable,” Director Sean Curran said in a separate statement on the agency’s X account. Investigators uncovered encrypted “Signal” chats with at least 23 people allegedly talking about using explosive-laden drones to hit buildings near the UFC Freedom 250 event, federal court records show. The plan was to force a mass evacuation with the explosive drones, drive crowds toward a sniper team and then launch a second wave to try to storm a White House gate. Download the FREE FOX19 NOW news app for iPhone Download the FREE FOX19 NOW news app for Android An FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force officer filed a detailed affidavit in support of the criminal charges against Proper, detailing how the case began in Ohio. His mother reported concerns about her son’s recent behavior - buying guns, communicating with people online - to the authorities, including the Knox County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday, June 10. Proper’s father said their son had been planning “recons” with people he met online and was preparing to leave to meet them over the weekend of Saturday, June 13, and Sunday, June 14, according to the affidavit. Proper also was rapidly gathering gear and weapons, spending about $3,000 in graduation money on camping supplies, ballistic plates, a new shotgun, a rifle and “lots” of ammunition and magazines, his father told the sheriff’s office. His parents voluntarily turned over the equipment, which the sheriff’s office photographed. It included boxes of ammunition—estimated by law enforcement to be thousands of rounds—along with plate carriers, an AR-style rifle and a bullpup rifle painted with an American flag. Proper was taken to a hospital after authorities sought emergency admission based on “homicidal ideations,” court records show. The next day, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office contacted the FBI. Watch more FOX19 NOW videos: In a June 11 phone interview with investigators, Proper’s mother reported her son joined an online group she described as made up of people claiming to be former military and “Christian-based,” the affidavit says. She said the group expressed ultra-religious and anti-government views and raised grievances about issues including government corruption and “the handling of the Epstein files,” according to the court filing. She also said she believed “those individuals were using religion to manipulate and influence her son.” Proper’s mother reported seeing her son studying maps and locations northwest of Washington, D.C. She noticed images and maps being sent to him through texts and Discord messages, the affidavit says. When she asked what he was doing, she said he told her he could not explain fully, but they were looking at multiple locations and intended to conduct “recon” and “hit and run missions.” She believed that meant shootings followed by leaving the area, according to the affidavit. Investigators searched Proper’s residence, and the sheriff’s office seized an Apple iPhone. During a preliminary review of the phone, investigators saw encrypted group chats that “laid out detailed plans” for an attack in Washington, D.C., involving maps of the National Capital Region and discussions of “sniper locations” and potential “drone launch locations,” the filing states. Investigators later interviewed Proper at a medical facility. During that interview, the affidavit alleges, Proper admitted planning with others a coordinated attack against the government during a UFC event scheduled for Sunday, June 14, on the White House lawn. Proper told investigators the group began communicating around March 2026 in a TikTok group called “Vanguard of the Old,” the affidavit says. Members believed the country was heading in the wrong direction, and some said the United States needed to be “torn down so that it could be rebuilt,” according to the filing. Proper also described what he said was a multi-tier structure for participants, with “Tier 1” expected to meet fitness standards and obtain body armor and firearms. The affidavit says Proper admitted he was one of the team leaders. According to the affidavit, Proper said members planned to travel to Fredericksburg, Virginia, then stage a demonstration on the north side of the White House while small drones carrying explosive devices detonated over the north side of the arena. The intent, Proper allegedly told investigators, was to push the crowd and “high-value targets” south, where shooters positioned with long guns would carry out an attack. The affidavit says Proper stated the plan was designed to “jumpstart” a revolution in the United States. The filing also cites additional messages investigators say were found on Proper’s phone. In one chat, Proper allegedly wrote, “I got a possible target Marsha Blackburn is senator for Tennessee,” and later responded, “She’s taken money from the Israel pro-Israel lobby and supports them,” according to the affidavit. In another exchange, the affidavit says Proper wrote, “These are people we’re going to focus on,” and sent images of members of Congress. Those include Republicans who represent voters in West Virginia: U.S. Senators Jim Justice and Shelley Moore Capito and U.S. Reps. Carol Miller and Riley Moore. The four images of these members of Congress appear to have been taken from the website “TrackAIPAC.com” and appear to include information about how much money each one received from “pro-Israel PACS.” The affidavit says a store employee reported Proper purchased a bullpup shotgun on or about Friday, June 5, and ATF tracing records confirmed the purchase. “I am aware,” the FBI agent wrote in the affidavit, “that a UFC event is scheduled to take place on the lawn of the White House on Sunday, June 14, 2026. I am also aware that the President of the United States is scheduled to be in attendance at the event. “I am also aware, based on news reports and open-source reporting, that politicians, potentially including members of Congress and Cabinet officials, will likely be at the UFC event.” See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it. Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description. 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