Two Southern California men have been charged as part of a group of eight indicted over an alleged plot to attack the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House and kill government officials. Bryan O. Roa, 25, of Calimesa, and Michael A. Thomas, 32, of Pinon Hills, both in California's Inland Empire, are among the men facing federal charges of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and conspiracy to commit murder.
The indictment, returned by a grand jury in Ohio on 9 July, alleges the group planned a mass casualty attack during the mixed martial arts event held on the South Lawn on 14 June. Authorities say the plot was foiled before any harm occurred.
The Alleged Plot To Target The White House Event
Prosecutors allege that starting in May the men used encrypted messaging apps to recruit participants, amass weapons and plan an assault involving explosive drones and snipers. They reportedly intended to detonate drones over the north side of the arena to cause an evacuation and then target fleeing high-profile attendees, including the President of the United States, the Vice President, other federal officials, the Prime Minister of Israel and Elon Musk.
The group discussed tiered roles for operators, including snipers, drone handlers and logistical support, conducted marksmanship training and stockpiled firearms, ammunition, body armour and drones. They also considered other potential targets such as power grids in some planning discussions.
Southern California Men Charged In The Conspiracy
Roa and Thomas took part in online discussions about the planned attack. Thomas reportedly described the intended operations as 'gorilla style warfare' and mentioned previous experience with raid attacks. The two men are said to have gone shooting together as part of preparations for the plot in Southern California.
In one exchange Thomas had discussed contributing funds towards the acquisition of drones and explosives, mentioning a figure equivalent to $1,300 (£970). Following searches of their homes, authorities recovered from Thomas a rifle, extended magazines, around 180 rounds of ammunition and a pistol.
Items seized from Roa included a rifle, handgun, tactical belt, ammunition, a rifle magazine, two-way radio and an infrared laser target pointer. Both face the charges in connection with their alleged roles in supporting the conspiracy.
How Federal Authorities Disrupted The Plans
The investigation gained momentum on 10 June after authorities became aware of a potential threat. A concerned mother's tip about her son helped initiate the probe into the wider group. Multi-agency teams, including the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, executed search warrants and made arrests across several states in the days around the event weekend.
The UFC Freedom 250 proceeded without incident as planned. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the FBI and partners 'did what they do every day to make America Safe through quick response and vigilance in investigating, disrupting, and dismantling this alleged plan before it could be carried out'. FBI Director Kash Patel noted that thanks to the rapid action multiple individuals are now in custody and the planned attacks were stopped cold.
The latest indictment supersedes earlier complaints against five of the men and brings charges against eight men in total, with the final suspect, a designated sniper, arrested this week. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
