Eight charged over alleged conspiracy to attack White House UFC event

Eight charged over alleged conspiracy to attack White House UFC eventImage source, ReutersImage caption, Thousands of people, including President Trump and Vice-President JD Vance, attended the event held at the White HouseByKwasi Gyamfi AsieduPublished27 minutes agoEight people have been charged with terrorism offences over an alleged plot to kill government officials and other high-profile figures, including President Donald Trump, at last month's UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House.The men, aged 19 to 32, are all charged with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, as well as conspiracy to commit murder on federal government territory and to murder a federal government official.The indictment comes after an eighth alleged co-conspirator was arrested in West Virginia earlier this week.The accused could face life prison sentences if convicted on the murder charges and up to 15 years if they are found guilty on the terror offences.The alleged plot was discovered after the mother of one of the suspects, Tycen J Proper, called local authorities on 10 June - days before the televised mixed martial arts event on 14 June, which was part of celebrations for the nation's 250th anniversary.Proper's mother was concerned about his large firearms purchases and what she had seen of his online communication with a group that claimed to be made up of former military members and Christian-based.They had specifically discussed "grievances about government corruption, the handling of the Epstein files, data centres taking up all the water in communities, and other government actions," prosecutors previously said.According to the FBI, Proper said the group wanted to "jumpstart a revolution in the United States" by attacking the event. Part of the plan involved striking nearby buildings with explosive-laden drones and firing on "high value targets", prosecutors alleged.By using the drones, the alleged plotters aimed to sp...