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The men accused of plotting a mass-casualty attack at the UFC event held on White House grounds allegedly met through a TikTok group before moving their discussions into encrypted messaging apps where prosecutors say they developed plans to kill government officials and other attendees, according to court records reviewed by Fox News Digital.
Federal authorities have arrested five men accused of plotting a mass-casualty attack targeting UFC Freedom 250, the Sunday event held on White House grounds that was attended by President Donald Trump and other senior government officials.
According to federal court records, members of the group first connected around March through a TikTok community called “Vanguard of the Old,” where participants allegedly vetted one another through identification documents, workout videos and tactical content before moving into private Signal chats. The filings do not further describe whether Vanguard of the Old was a formal organization or simply an online chat community.
The filings identify five arrested participants in Ohio, California, Missouri and Nebraska and describe a network that prosecutors say evolved from online discussions into operational planning for an attack targeting UFC Freedom 250. Investigators allege members discussed using explosive-laden drones to trigger an evacuation before opening fire on politicians and other targets as crowds fled the area.
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While prosecutors allege the group had developed operational plans, some officials, like Vice President JD Vance, have suggested the conspiracy never advanced to the point of becoming an imminent threat.
“There was a lot of security there,” Vance said during an appearance on Fox News’ “The Five.” “And it turns out the plot was like, not that advanced. They weren’t in town.”
Court documents identify an Omaha, Nebraska, man known online as “Shepherd” as the group’s alleged leader. Prosecutors say Shepherd helped build the organization’s tiered structure, directed planning discussions and coordinated members across multiple states through encrypted communications.
Once inside those encrypted chats, prosecutors say members organized themselves into a tiered structure that assigned participants to specific functions. Court records describe Tier 1 members as frontline operators expected to carry out missions and acquire firearms and body armor, while other tiers included drone operators, getaway drivers, recruiters, logistics personnel, technical support and social media advocates.
Court records repeatedly reference military-style training and organization.
Tycen Proper, the 19-year-old Ohio defendant whose phone helped investigators identify other members of the alleged network, told investigators he believed many participants had prior military experience, according to court documents, while his mother said some members represented themselves online as former military personnel. The filings, however, do not identify any defendant as having verified military service.
According to investigators, members also split into smaller chat groups based on operational assignments and locations.
Investigators say the network extended well beyond the five men charged. According to court records, Proper’s phone contained a primary Signal chat with approximately 19 participants, along with smaller operational chat groups organized by role and location.
Tensions 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.
The disagreement surfaced publicly Tuesday when Deputy Secret Service Director Matthew Quinn, responding to questions about the case at an unrelated event, emphasized that the Secret Service had “led that investigation from the beginning” and suggested investigators intentionally avoided public disclosure while the case remained active.
“In order to maintain the integrity of the investigation and the security plan we chose not to leak it,” Quinn said.
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“I’ll tell you a phrase I learned early in my career in the New York field office and that’s don’t choke on your own smoke,” he said.
The investigation began June 10 when Proper’s mother contacted local authorities after becoming concerned about his recent behavior, according to court records.
Proper’s father told investigators his son had allegedly recently met people online, was planning “recons” with them and intended to travel that weekend to meet members of the group. Family members also reported that Proper allegedly had purchased firearms, body armor, ammunition and tactical gear and had quit his job in preparation for what he described as “missions” and “recons.”
After investigators obtained a warrant for Proper’s phone, they allege they discovered Signal chats containing maps of Washington, D.C., proposed sniper positions, drone launch sites and discussions about escape routes.
Prosecutors say members allegedly discussed potential congressional targets, power infrastructure and other political figures before focusing on UFC Freedom 250.
Proper’s mother told investigators members of the group allegedly expressed anger about government corruption and the Epstein files.
According to court records, members of the group allegedly believed the United States was headed in the wrong direction and needed to be “torn down” and rebuilt. Some participants allegedly argued that people connected to Jeffrey Epstein should not govern the country.
Prosecutors also allege that discussions increasingly focused on U.S. support for Israel and lawmakers viewed by group members as aligned with pro-Israel interests.
According to the filings, members discussed targeting politicians they believed were tied to pro-Israel lobbying organizations, while other conversations referenced billionaires and what participants described as “capitalist elites.”
Bryan Omar Roa and Michael Alan Thomas, both of California, allegedly met up for a training session in late May, according to messages obtained by law enforcement and shared in court records.
“Noble and I trained on vehicle dismount, cover vs concealment, bounding, and basic marksmanship today,” Thomas wrote to the group on May 25, according to court records.
By early June, according to court records, discussions inside the group’s encrypted chats had shifted toward operational planning surrounding UFC Freedom 250, which took place last Sunday.
Court records show members discussing a rendezvous point in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where participants from multiple states were allegedly expected to meet before traveling to Washington.
Investigators also say members allegedly exchanged information about safe houses, fallback locations and escape routes that included traveling south along the Potomac River.
According to court records, the group’s alleged plan centered on creating chaos inside the White House event before targeting government officials and other attendees as they fled.
Prosecutors say members discussed using drones carrying explosive devices over the north side of the UFC venue, triggering panic and forcing crowds to evacuate. Investigators allege members of the group planned to position shooters and snipers along anticipated evacuation routes south of the venue, where politicians and other targets would be vulnerable.
According to court records, a participant interviewed by the FBI in West Virginia said members of the group allegedly had canceled the operation by Friday, two days before the event. The reported cancellation came after authorities had already begun investigating the group following a June 10 call from Proper’s mother.
Authorities arrested suspects in Ohio, California, Missouri and Nebraska Saturday and Sunday after executing a series of search warrants tied to the investigation.
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“They had not really done that much planning,” Vance said. “And so, I get why people are so fascinated by it. I do think the political violence and rhetoric in this country is out of control. But thank God we have good law enforcement. We’ve got good FBI because it didn’t even get close to the point of execution.”
Fox News’ David Spunt contributed to this report.
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