A 19-year-old Ohio man allegedly masterminded a plot to attack the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House with explosive-carrying drones and gunfire before his own mother called federal authorities.
Tycen Proper, along with nearly two dozen others, allegedly planned to detonate explosive-laden drones over the UFC arena and open fire as the crowd evacuated Sunday night, according to a criminal complaint.
Proper’s mother, an Ohio-based cosmetologist, contacted authorities after discovering her son’s recent firearms purchases and communications with individuals online claiming to be military veterans and Christians.
Proper’s parents told law enforcement their son had recently quit his job and started messaging online with unknown individuals about plans to execute “missions” and “recons.”
Family members said the 19-year-old had become more isolated and had recently made “sympathetic comments about Adolf Hitler” while “posting anti-Semitic comments on Facebook,” the complaint said.
Proper used $3,000 of his graduation money to purchase several boxes of ammunition estimated in the thousands of rounds, two plate carriers with AR-style magazines, an AR-style rifle, and a bullpup rifle painted with an American flag, which were later turned over to law enforcement.
Proper’s mother told federal authorities she believed the individuals tied to the plot preyed upon her son by “using religion to manipulate and influence him.”
In a 2021 TikTok post, Proper called himself “a professional person, a geek,” adding “I’m very good with computers.” That same year, he posted videos of himself playing Squad, which he described as a “realistic tactical shooter game.”
At the time, he said in one video that he’s “not a type of person that gets into politics or any drama ever.”
When authorities searched Proper’s phone, they found Signal groups “that laid out detailed plans” to carry out an attack in Washington, D.C., with detailed maps highlighting sniper locations and potential drone launch locations.
Proper later confessed to investigators that he took part in “planning … a coordinated attack” during the UFC event at the White House and admitted to being one of the group’s leaders.
Proper wrote in one of the chats on or about May 13 that he “got a possible target Marsha Blackburn is senator for Tennessee,” saying they should target her for taking “money from the Israel pro Israel lobby and supports them.”
On May 31, he sent messages saying, “These are people we’re going to focus on,” before sharing photos of Senator Jim Justice, Senator Shelley Moore Capito, Rep. Carol Miller, and Rep. Riley Moore. The four images appeared to have been taken from the website TrackAIPAC.com and showed how much cash each lawmaker received from pro-Israel PACs.
Proper was arrested in Ohio and charged with four criminal counts, including conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States, attempted murder against 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.
At least 23 individuals are believed to have been part of the network plotting the attack. Some of the members “expressed ultra-religious and antigovernment sentiments, specifically citing grievances about government corruption, the handling of the Epstein files, data centers taking up all the water in communities, and other government actions.”
Along with Proper, authorities arrested Michael Alan Thomas and Bryan Omar Roa in California for allegedly taking part in the plot.
The charges remain allegations. The case has not been proven in court.
