Eight indicted over foiled drone-sniper plot at Trump's White House UFC event

Columbus,UPDATED: Jul 10, 2026 03:40 IST

Eight men were indicted in Ohio on Thursday on murder and terrorism conspiracy charges over their alleged roles in a foiled drone and sniper attack on a UFC cage-fighting show held at the White House in June.

The indictment said the men were part of two separate conspiracies: one to provide material support to terrorists, and another to commit murder on federal government property and to murder a federal government official. The alleged target was President Donald Trump’s UFC event, Freedom 250.

According to the indictment, the plot began in May, when the group started gathering money, firearms, ammunition, body armour, explosives, drones, medical supplies, communications gear and other items. On June 10, four days before the event, law enforcement officials learned of a possible threat to the show.

The Justice Department said last month that federal charges had been filed against seven people from Ohio, Missouri, Washington, Nebraska and California. Officials said the group held fringe conspiracy theories and hoped the attack would destabilise the government. A federal affidavit said one of the defendants told investigators that the plan was to fly drones loaded with explosives into the event and then shoot at members of the crowd as they ran in panic.

Tycen C. Proper, 19, of Danville, Ohio, and four others were arrested and charged in Missouri, Nebraska and California over the weekend of the event. Two more defendants were charged and arrested by the FBI about a week later in Washington and Missouri. The Justice Department said the eighth man was charged this week.

The eighth defendant was identified as Chandler D. Scaggs, 21, of Chapmanville, West Virginia. He was taken into custody in that state. According to an affidavit, Scaggs had been assigned the role of one of the snipers in the planned attack. The affidavit said he was supposed to be picked up by Proper and taken to Washington, but lost contact with him after Proper was arrested. It added that Scaggs later indicated to the group that he was still willing to take part in the attack and made plans to travel to the event with another alleged co-conspirator.

With Scaggs now charged, all eight men named in the case have been accused over the alleged plot to carry out a drone and sniper attack at the White House UFC event in June.

With PTI Inputs

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