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The alleged plot to attack Sunday night’s UFC event at the White House may have been unraveled by a worried mother who noticed her son’s growing obsession with guns, tactical gear and secretive online communications.
According to court documents viewed by Digital, Tycen Proper, a 19-year-old Ohio man charged in connection with an alleged plot targeting a UFC event on the White House grounds, first came to investigators’ attention after his mother became alarmed by his recent behavior and contacted authorities.
Federal authorities allege Proper was part of a group planning an attack on UFC Freedom 250, a June 14 event held on the White House South Lawn. Investigators say the alleged plot involved explosive-laden drones, sniper positions and coordinated attacks on attendees and other targets.
According to the complaint, one of the biggest warning signs came when Proper’s mother observed him researching locations near Washington, D.C., and receiving maps and images through text messages and Discord.
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Tycen Proper appears in a mugshot released by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office. (Franklin County Sheriff’s Office)
When she confronted him, Proper allegedly said the group planned to conduct “recon” and “hit and run missions.”
She later told investigators she interpreted that as planning shootings.
The criminal complaint reveals that Proper’s mother contacted authorities on June 10, after becoming concerned about her son’s recent firearms purchases and communications with people he had met online.
When deputies responded to the family’s Knox County, Ohio, home, Proper’s father told officers his son had recently met people online and had been planning “recons” with them. He also said Proper planned to leave during the weekend of June 13 to meet members of the group.
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Tycen Proper allegedly acquired an AR-style rifle and a bullpup rifle painted with the American flag, officials said. (Department of Justice)
Proper’s father told investigators his son had recently acquired firearms, body armor, ammunition and tactical gear, allegedly spending about $3,000 of his graduation money on the purchases. Family members later voluntarily turned over the equipment to law enforcement, according to the complaint.
Proper’s mother told investigators he had recently begun communicating with an online group whose members claimed to be former military personnel and described themselves as Christian-based. She said the group appeared to be influencing him and that she noticed him becoming increasingly focused on physical training and tactical preparation.
After local authorities contacted the FBI, investigators reviewed Proper’s phone and allegedly discovered Signal chats discussing plans for an attack during the June 14 UFC event at the White House, including the use of explosive-laden drones and shooters positioned near evacuation routes.
Prosecutors also allege Proper later admitted participating in planning discussions.
President Donald Trump hosts the UFC Freedom 250 fights on the South Lawn of the White House on Sunday, celebrating his 80th birthday with a series of Ultimate Fighting Championship matches. (Jacquelyn Martin/Getty Images)
Retired FBI agent Jason Pack previously told Digital that the investigation highlighted the importance of family members recognizing behavior and reporting it to authorities.
“That’s how this got stopped,” Pack said.
The complaint suggests that before investigators uncovered encrypted communications and alleged attack planning, the first break in the case came from a mother who saw troubling changes in her son and decided to make a phone call.
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In an interview with host Will Cain on “The Will Cain Show” Tuesday, retired FBI supervisory agent Rob Chadwick called the mother’s actions courageous.
“Thankful for the one mother’s courage to come forward and say something, even though it meant the certain arrest of her own son,” Chadwick said, “but that’s what it’s going to take, this type of surveillance or awareness of what is happening around you, understanding we are in the unprecedented time of political violence.”
Digital’s Sophia Compton, David Spunt and Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.
