Eight men were indicted Thursday on charges of murder and terrorism conspiracy for their alleged involvement in a prevented drone and sniper attack targeting a UFC event held at the White House in June. The indictment, issued in Ohio, accuses the men of two conspiracies: providing material support to terrorists and planning murder on federal property or against a federal official. Court documents do not specify how close the suspects came to executing the plan. The scheme reportedly began in May with the collection of firearms, ammunition, explosives, drones, body armor and other supplies. Authorities learned of the threat on June 10, four days before the mixed martial arts event. The group reportedly held fringe conspiracy beliefs and aimed to destabilize the government. One defendant described plans to use explosive drones at the event followed by shooting at fleeing spectators, according to an affidavit. Members communicated via online forums, assigned roles in tiers and conducted marksmanship training. Several suspects were arrested in multiple states around the time of the event, with an eighth man taken into custody this week in West Virginia. Conspiring to provide material support to terrorists carries a maximum sentence of 15 years, while conspiring to commit murder can result in life imprisonment. Prosecutors allege the targets included senior government officials and other prominent figures at the event.
