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Mason County man charged in White House terror plot
A 21-year-old Mason County man appeared in federal court facing a conspiracy to murder charge after investigators say he was part of a foiled plot to launch a mass casualty attack using drones and snipers at the White House during a June 14 UFC event.
TACOMA, Wash. - A 21-year-old Washington man was among multiple people arrested in connection with an alleged plot to carry out a mass-casualty attack during an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event held at the White House this month.
The backstory:
On June 10, four days before the mixed martial arts extravaganza on the White House’s South Lawn, the FBI and local law enforcement learned about a potential threat to the UFC Freedom 250 event in Washington, D.C., involving individuals outside the National Capital Region.
The FBI launched an investigation into the plot and identified a group of conspirators who procured weapons and made plans to carry out the attack, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
UFC Freedom 250 fight from the Washington Monument, on Sunday, June 14, 2026, on the Ellipse in Washington, D.C. (Official White House Photo by Patrick B. Ruddy).
What we know:
On Monday, the department announced that William Lee Spartacus Falkner of Belfair, Washington was arrested on Friday, June 19. He is charged by criminal complaint in the Western District of Washington with conspiracy to commit murder. He appeared in U.S. District Court in Tacoma on Monday afternoon.
According to the complaint, Falkner was in communication with several coconspirators, indicating he has experience with piloting and manufacturing drones. They allegedly planned to deploy drones armed with explosives in and around the event to force an evacuation, and then deploy snipers to fire upon "high-value targets" within the fleeing crowd.
Falkner and another had been discussing a "work trip" prior to the UFC event, but later said it was canceled following the arrests of some of the coconspirators, according to the Department of Justice.
Dig deeper:
The Department of Justice also reported on Monday another man from Missouri was arrested over the weekend. Jordan W. Rincker, 28, was charged by criminal complaint in the Western District of Missouri with conspiracy to commit murder.
There were five other men arrested in Ohio, Missouri, Nebraska and California, and the department also announced charges against them. According to the charges, Tycen C. Proper, 19, of Danville, Ohio; Bryan Omar Roa, 24, of Calimesa, California; Michael Alan Thomas, 32, of Pinon Hills, California; Daniel K. Eskridge, 32, of Kidder, Missouri; and Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, 31, of Omaha, Nebraska, conspired to plan and execute a mass-casualty event targeting U.S. officials in attendance.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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The Source: Information in this story came from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Associated Press.