Feds name five individuals charged in UFC terror plot

Federal court records made public Tuesday reveal the identities of five individuals in the alleged terror plot to disrupt the Ultimate Fighting Championship event at the White House over the weekend. The suspects in custody are 19-year-old Tycen Proper from central Ohio; Bryan Omar Roa and Michael Alan Thomas from central California; Daniel Eskridge from Missouri; and Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez from Omaha, Nebraska. The group was part of a larger Signal chat with at least 23 users across the country discussing plans for the attack, authorities allege. Their plan, which the FBI said it learned of on June 10, involved using drones with attached explosives to hit buildings near the event, prompting a mass evacuation that would steer crowds toward a group of snipers. Affidavits filed by federal agents who questioned the suspects noted that the murder plot "appears to have been motivated by their anti-government ideology," with the conspirators mentioning hating "billionaires" and "capitalist elites." Proper, who authorities allege admitted to being a "team leader" in the operation, had singled out specific politicians as targets due to their support of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Five of the politicians he named are Republicans from West Virginia, including U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito and Jim Justice, U.S. Reps. Riley Moore and Carol Miller, and State Delegate Tristan Leavitt. U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Tom Cotton, R-Ark., were also targeted by the group. "It is incredibly chilling that this suspect named me as a potential target along with other lawmakers," Blackburn posted on social media Tuesday. "I will not let maniacs like this one deter me from celebrating or serving this great nation, and I am grateful to law enforcement for keeping us safe." All five terror plot suspects could face lifetime imprisonment if convicted. Eskridge, Roa, Thomas, and Alvarez have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder, the latter additionally being charged with conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States. Proper is charged with conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States, attempted murder of any officer or employee of the United States, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and receipt or transfer of a firearm used to commit a felony. According to the suspects' cell data and online activity, as well as testimony from Proper, the group began communicating with one another sometime around March via a TikTok group named "Vanguard of the Old," court records allege. The "more serious members" of the TikTok group, including all five suspects, later switched to a Signal chat where they allegedly began planning the attack, according to the records. Based on TikTok and cell data obtained by the FBI's Domestic Terrorism Targeting Unit, federal officials believe Alvarez to be the alleged ringleader of the group, going by the online username "Shepherd." Proper and Thomas each admitted to helping plan the attack when questioned individually by law enforcement, court documents show. Eskridge's spouse told law enforcement that he had "told her that he was a recruiter for the group" and had "purchased a large amount of tactical equipment over the past few months," per court documents. Roa admitted that he attempted to travel to Washington, D.C., to protest the UFC fight, but denied any involvement in the conspiracy. Among other evidence, searches by law enforcement discovered ammunition, firearms, and other weaponry in Roa's vehicle and in the respective residences of Proper, Eskridge, and Thomas. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty.