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UFC Plot Thwarted
Eight men in the United States were indicted on murder and terrorism conspiracy charges for an alleged thwarted drone and sniper attack on the UFC cage-fighting show staged at the White House in June.
“Eight men were indicted on murder and terrorism conspiracy charges Thursday”
The indictment returned in Ohio charges all eight in two separate conspiracies, one to provide material support to terrorists and a second to commit murder on federal government territory and to murder a federal government official.
The plot began in May, when the group began amassing money, firearms, ammunition, body armour, explosives, drones, medical equipment, communications equipment and other items.
On June 10, law enforcement learned about a possible threat to President Donald Trump’s UFC cage-fighting show, four days before the mixed martial arts event called Freedom 250.
The eighth defendant is Chandler D. Scaggs, 21, of Chapmanville, W.Va., who was taken into custody in that state and was allegedly assigned to be one of the snipers in the plotted attack.
FBI, DOJ, and Charges
The U.S. Justice Department announced federal charges against seven people last month from across the country, including from Ohio, Missouri, Washington, Nebraska and California, before consolidating the case into a single federal indictment in Ohio.
FBI director Kash Patel said in a social media statement that "Thanks to the rapid action of this FBI, our partners, and the Department of Justice in a multi-state operation, multiple individuals are now in custody".
The indictment lodged before a federal grand jury in the US state of Ohio charges the men with two separate conspiracies, including conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and conspiracy to commit murder on US government territory.
According to the indictment, the group is accused of planning to fly explosive-laden drones into the event and then shoot panicked crowd members as they fled, and prosecutors allege the group planned to murder Trump, U.S. Vice-President JD Vance, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Elon Musk.
Conspiring to provide material support to terrorists is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, and conspiring to commit murder carries a penalty of up to life in prison.
Iran Plot and Political Tension
Separate from the UFC Freedom 250 case, CNN reported that Israel shared intelligence with the United States that Iran had recently devised a new plan to assassinate President Donald Trump.
“the warning from Israel was new and concerned a specific plot”
CNN said the warning came this week, and that "the warning from Israel was new and concerned a specific plot," while two sources familiar with the matter said the US had not vetted it themselves nor were they tracking it before the Israeli warning.
Trump responded to the threat reporting by telling reporters, "They want to take out the U.S. leader — me," and he added, "I’m on whatever list."
The Hill reported that Tracy Walder, a former CIA officer and FBI special agent, said, "I’m sadly not surprised by this," and pointed to the fact that "attempts have been thwarted" and that "There are individuals who have been brought to trial" in the United States.
The stakes described in the reporting extend beyond the White House lawn, with CNN noting tensions between the US and Iran as a 60-day ceasefire ending hostilities is in tatters and with the White House pointing to Trump’s recent comments on Iran’s desire to kill him.