Eight arrested in far-right plot to kill President Trump during White House birthday event

Federal agents foiled a scheme to murder President Donald Trump on his 80th birthday, leading to the arrest of eight men motivated by extremist conspiracy theories.

Eight arrested in far-right plot to kill President Trump during White House birthday event

Federal authorities in the United States have detained eight individuals accused of planning to assassinate President Donald Trump during his 80th birthday celebration at the White House on June 14.

Court documents reviewed by The Guardian reveal that the suspects, all young men in their twenties and thirties, were driven by a blend of far-right ideology, extreme Christian beliefs, and antisemitic conspiracy theories. The Federal Bureau of Investigation disclosed details of the case on June 16.

The alleged scheme was elaborate. The group intended to stage a demonstration near the presidential residence to divert law enforcement attention. Next, they planned to detonate explosives at the UFC viewing event on the White House lawn, triggering a panicked evacuation. During the chaos, sharpshooters would target high-profile individuals. The final phase involved storming the building itself.

The bureau uncovered the plot after the mother of a key suspect, 19-year-old Tycen Proper, contacted police about her son's behavior. Investigators found that Proper had quit his job, studied maps of Washington D.C., and purchased weapons and military gear worth approximately $3,000.

According to the FBI, the defendants were particularly enraged by the administration's alliance with Israel and its handling of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and former associate of Trump who died by suicide in custody in 2019.

Proper reportedly praised Adolf Hitler on social media. Another defendant, 32-year-old Michael Alan Thomas, allegedly believed a shadowy elite controlled the U.S. government, engaged in ritual sacrifice of infants, and was protected by the president. Thomas also blamed Jewish people for government corruption and the conflict with Iran.

The suspects appeared ideologically inconsistent in some respects. They reportedly used a left-leaning website that tracked donations from the pro-Israel AIPAC lobby to select potential targets. One of the group's leaders, 31-year-old Abraham Alvarez, was a Mexican national living unlawfully in the United States.

Experts on extremism told The Guardian that the online far-right communities from which the suspects emerged can be equally hostile to Trump and the MAGA movement as they are to the Democratic Party.

_Source: The Guardian via Yle_

Source: YLE Uutiset