Eight men have been indicted on federal charges for their alleged roles in a thwarted plot to carry out a drone and sniper attack on the UFC Freedom 250 event held on the South Lawn of the White House in June.
A grand jury in Columbus, Ohio, returned a two-count indictment charging the defendants with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and conspiracy to commit murder on federal government territory, as well as the murder of a federal official. If convicted, each faces up to life in prison.
Prosecutors allege the group began preparing in May by acquiring firearms, ammunition, body armor, explosives, drones, and other supplies.
The plan reportedly involved using explosive-laden drones to create chaos at the high-profile mixed martial arts event, followed by snipers targeting attendees fleeing the scene, including high-value figures such as President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Elon Musk, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The suspects, who communicated through online channels and organized participants into tiers, harbored fringe conspiracy theories and aimed to destabilize the government. Law enforcement learned of the threat on June 10. Arrests followed, with the final defendant, Chandler D. Scaggs, 21, of West Virginia, taken into custody recently.
Scaggs was allegedly assigned as a sniper and expressed continued interest in the plot even after losing contact with a co-conspirator.
Authorities credit tips, including calls from one suspect’s mother, with helping disrupt the scheme before the June 14 event. Defense attorneys have indicated they will contest the charges.
