Sixth suspect charged in alleged plot to turn White House UFC event into mass-casualty attack
The FBI has publicly identified an additional suspect in the alleged plot targeting the UFC Freedom 250 event in Washington, D.C., after court documents were unsealed Monday in the Western District of Missouri.
The newly unsealed criminal complaint names Missouri defendant Jordan W. Rincker as an alleged member of the conspiracy, bringing the total number of publicly identified defendants to six. Five suspects were charged mid-June in connection with the alleged plot.
The alleged plan involved using explosive-laden drones to hit buildings near the event, force a mass evacuation and steer crowds toward a prestaged sniper team, FBI officials said.
5 CHILLING DETAILS FROM THE ALLEGED WHITE HOUSE ATTACK PLOT TIED TO UFC EVENT
A "second wave" was then allegedly planned to storm the White House gate, according to FBI officials.
The newly unsealed affidavit also suggests investigators were examining whether members of the group discussed a potential future attack targeting a FIFA World Cup match scheduled for July 3 in Kansas City, Missouri.
In the filing, an FBI agent wrote that he believed messages exchanged by alleged ringleader Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez referenced the event and encouraged co-conspirators to prepare to travel to Missouri around the July 4 holiday.
Prosecutors said the plotters met around March through a TikTok community known as "Vanguard of the Old" where participants shared workout videos and tactical content before moving to encrypted Signal chats.
According to the newly unsealed complaint, members of the conspiracy allegedly agreed to commit murder on the White House grounds and surrounding area during the UFC Freedom 250 event. The complaint alleges the conspiracy operated from approximately March through June 21.
Federal investigators allege members acquired firearms, ammunition, ballistic gear and other tactical equipment in preparation for the attack.
The complaint claims Tycen Proper allegedly acquired several boxes of ammunition, plate carriers, rifles and tactical clothing, while Daniel Eskridge allegedly obtained multiple firearms, a helmet and a ballistic vest.
The newly unsealed filing also says that Eskridge allegedly shared a photograph of tactical equipment, including a rifle, helmet and ballistic vest, with co-conspirators on the encrypted messaging platform SimpleX in May.
Prosecutors allege Rincker played a logistical role in the conspiracy.
He allegedly accepted a $1,200 cash payment from co-defendant Alvarez, allegedly sent Bryan Omar Roa $100 to help fund Roa's drive from California to Washington and allegedly transferred a pump-action shotgun to Alvarez during an in-person meeting, according to the complaint.
The complaint further claims that Roa allegedly began driving from California to Washington on June 11 to participate in the attack.
The plot was allegedly disrupted after the mother of Proper, a 19-year-old Ohio defendant in the case, called in a tip to the FBI.
A seizure of Proper's phone helped investigators identify other members of the alleged network.
Investigators say the network extended well beyond the five men initially charged. Proper's phone contained a primary Signal chat with approximately 19 alleged participants, according to court records, along with smaller operational chat groups organized by role and location.
Tensions reportedly boiled over between federal agencies over the decision to make the case public.
Two senior U.S. officials told Fox News that Secret Service leadership wanted to delay disclosing the investigation until additional arrests could be made, fearing that publicizing the probe could alert other subjects and complicate the ongoing investigation.
Fox News' Jake Gibson contributed to this report.