The US Department of Justice announced it foiled a plot by eight men to assassinate Donald Trump and other officials at the Ultimate Fighting Championship event held at the White House on June 14, 2026. Investigators say at least 19 people were involved, with many meeting through TikTok before migrating to encrypted messaging apps Signal and SimpleX.
Plot Details and Targets
According to an affidavit, Tycen Proper, 19, quit his job and used graduation money to buy a rifle, shotgun, body armor, and ammunition. The plotters planned to stage a demonstration near the White House to distract law enforcement, then bomb the event with drone-borne explosives, causing a panicked evacuation toward waiting marksmen targeting 'high-value targets.' A 'second wave' would storm the White House. One conspirator described it as 'a fucking bloodbath.'
Eight people are in custody as of Friday, all men in their 20s or early 30s. The group sorted themselves into 'tiers' of risk tolerance and some met in person for tactical training.
Ideological Confusion and Far-Right Motives
The plotters held far-right views but targeted Republican officials, using a leftwing website tracking Aipac donations to choose targets. One alleged ringleader, Abraham Alvarez, 31, is reportedly an undocumented immigrant from Mexico. Michael Edison Hayden, a journalist and extremism analyst, said far-right online communities are often hostile to both Trump and Democrats, being 'anti-government, and the government happens to be run by Republicans.'
Investigators noted the conspirators were enraged by Trump's alliance with Israel. Proper praised Adolf Hitler online. Another plotter, Michael Alan Thomas, 32, believed the US government is run by an elite group that sacrifices infants and is protected by Trump, blaming Jewish people and Israel for the Iran war.
Christian Extremism and Accelerationist Goals
Jonathan Larsen argued the government downplayed Christian extremism in the plot. Proper's mother said her son became more religious, and his friends manipulated his Christian zeal. The group used biblically-tinged language about 'shepherds' and 'lions' dens,' believing demons preyed on children—a QAnon-era update of antisemitic tropes. A diary found with Proper stated 'the government sought to control people and to sacrifice children and others to a demonic figure.'
Matthew D Taylor, a scholar of Christian nationalism, said the plot reflects an 'ideological civil war' in the far right between Christian Zionists supporting Israel and anti-interventionist Christian nationalists feeling betrayed by the Maga movement. The Iran war was 'the straw that broke the camel's back' for those suspicious of Israel's influence on Trump.
Response and Broader Implications
JD Vance downplayed the plot as 'not that advanced,' while some conservative media implied the plotters were far-left. Taylor warned that 'a lot – maybe thousands – of young men around the country are being drawn into similar communities.' He noted that would-be domestic terror attacks are often stopped only because worried family members tip off police, calling it 'a pretty thin branch to be relying on.'
