A Missouri man is among five people charged on Tuesday in connection with what the FBI said was a plot to attack and kill government officials during an Ultimate Fighting Championship event at the White House on Sunday.
Daniel Eskridge of Caldwell County is charged with conspiracy to commit murder on White House grounds. Eskridge is from Kidder, about 60 miles north of Kansas City.
The FBI said Eskridge was part of a group that plotted online to meet in Fredericksburg, Virginia, over the weekend. Investigators said the group planned to bring guns, ammunition and supplies to carry out an attack during the event, which was part of President Donald Trump's birthday celebrations.
According to court documents, the group held multiple conversations on encrypted social media platforms in which members discussed assassinating several politicians and business executives during the UFC event. Authorities said the group planned to detonate small drones carrying explosives over the arena and open fire as people ran away.
Charging documents state that Eskridge sent a photo to the online group on May 22 that showed tactical equipment, including a rifle, helmet and ballistic vest. Investigators said when the group began discussing potential targets, Eskridge said they would be "big and someone the majority of the country knows."
The FBI said agents executed a federal search warrant at Eskridge's home on June 13, where they reported finding rifles, a shotgun, pistol and "other tactical gear."
According to a federal affidavit, the investigation began June 10 when the parents of 19-year-old Tycen Proper of Ohio contacted local police because they were concerned about his recent statements and behavior.
Proper's mother said her son was communicating online with a group, the affidavit says, that "expressed ultra-religious and anti-government sentiments, specifically citing grievances about government corruption, the handling of the Epstein files, data centers taking up all the water in communities and other government actions."
The FBI said Proper admitted involvement in the alleged plot and identified the other members of the online group. According to charging documents, one of the other men charged in the case described Eskridge as the person "running the show."
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