# 2 California men among those accused of plotting to attack UFC matches at White House > Source: > Published: 2026-06-17 13:08:59+00:00 **Getting your** [Trinity Audio](//trinityaudio.ai)player ready...A plot to attack the [UFC cage-fighting show at the White House](https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/06/14/donald-trump-ufc-party/) on Sunday, June 14, using explosive-laden drones and firearms was thwarted, federal law enforcement officials say, when they arrested five men. The alleged conspirators harbored antigovernment sentiments and spoke about fringe conspiracy theories, the U.S. Department of Justice said Tuesday, June 16, in announcing charges. **RELATED: Popular comedian upsets fans by joining ‘MAGA royalty’ at Trump’s UFC event** Investigators recovered firearms from several of the suspects as they were arrested over the weekend and obtained encrypted text messages between roughly 20 participants who shared detailed maps and aerial photographs of the area and discussed the need for a “safe house” and escape routes after the intended attack, the documents show. Several suspects who were questioned by the authorities allegedly said they did not intend to carry out violence themselves but planned to instead watch others. One — Bryan Omar Roa, 24, of Calimesa — told an investigator that he would have traveled to the UFC event as a protester but had to return home after his vehicle malfunctioned, authorities said. Law enforcement officials learned about the possible threat on June 10, four days before the mixed-martial arts extravaganza on the White House’s South Lawn, “and thanks to the rapid action of the FBI, our partners, and the Department of Justice in a multi-state operation, multiple individuals are now in custody and allegedly planned attacks were stopped cold,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a post on X on Tuesday. Michael Alan Thomas, 32, of Pinon Hills; Tycen C. Proper, 19, of Danville, Ohio; Daniel K. Eskridge, 32, of Kidder, Missouri; Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, 31, of Omaha, Nebraska; and Roa were charged with conspiracy to commit murder, according to a DOJ news release. Federal officials depicted the views of the suspects as a tangled web of antigovernment sentiment, antisemitic grievances, fury over President Donald Trump administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, and conspiracy theories about a powerful elite that sacrifices and consumes children. Proper’s mother contacted local law enforcement last week with concerns about his firearms purchases and online communications, according to an FBI affidavit filed in the case. Proper admitted in an interview with law enforcement that he participated in the planning of an attack, according to the affidavit, which says some members of the group began communicating with each other last March through a TikTok group called “Vanguard of the Old.” Proper provided investigators with social-media screen names of the suspects. Authorities said they traced two of those names to Roa and Thomas. According to the complaint, filed in the Central District of California, law enforcement searched Roa’s residence and vehicle, seizing a rifle, a handgun, a tactical belt, ammunition, a rifle magazine, a two-way radio and an infrared-laser-target pointer. They found messages on Roa’s phone in which he discussed plans for an attack with Thomas, Proper and others that included the drones and rooftop snipers who would shoot people as they fled, federal officials said. Law enforcement also allegedly found Instagram videos Roa had posted of himself shooting guns. The same criminal complaint said Thomas, in a group chat, wrote, “$1300 gets us the drones and the charges. Yes we should all pitch in and we need it asap. …” In another group chat, Thomas allegedly described “tiers” of operators within their antigovernment group, with tier 1 being operators on the ground, tier 2 being drivers and drone operators, tier 3 being logistical suppliers, and tier 4 being social-media influencers. “Tier one status is not something to take lightly. … We will make sure they have … all the tier 2 support we can provide. We will try to break them out of jail if we need to,” Thomas is alleged to have written. He also discussed meeting with Roa in person in Pinon Hills to conduct “marks(man) training” and reflected that the group needed to train for “gorilla (sic) style warfare.” On Saturday, FBI agents allegedly seized from Thomas’ residence a rifle, 30-round extended magazines for the rifle, 180 rounds of ammunition and a pistol, the complaint said. Proper told investigators that TikTok users including Roa, screen name su@noble_0066, and Thomas, @whiskey_six_actual, had become members of the inner group by being vetted and had participated in Signal chats regarding the planned attack. On another platform, according to the complaint, Thomas wrote: “To be clear, I intend to escalate this group, and I don’t want to take 6business years to do it” and that everyone in the group should “consider yourselves an enemy of the state.” In response to another coconspirator, Thomas allegedly wrote, “Ok, big picture. Got it. So, to be precise, you’re imagining executions right?” Thomas also discussed a training exercise with Roa, writing in the Vanguard of the Old Republic chatroom: “Yes… I’ve put some deliberation into what exactly we need to train for. It occurred to me when I was with (Roa), that we’re not going to be conducting the type of missions or combat that I did back in the day. It will be gorilla (sic) style warfare. There will be some raid attacks, which I’ve done before. But we’ll also need to be creative, and more conservative.” Thomas is alleged to have also written: “What we NEED is skilled operators to work like ghosts. Most missions that expect contact will be infiltration missions. And that won’t be for a while. There’s a lot we can do before we fight toe to toe.” *The Associated Press contributed to this report.*