Eight men charged in plot to attack White House UFC event

Eight men have been indicted for their alleged roles in a plot to attack the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House last month, U.S. Attorney Dominick Gerace of the Southern District of Ohio announced Friday.

"The allegations in this indictment, we allege, show that these men were not simply airing grievances from behind their keyboards in sharing likeminded political ideologies. Rather, they took action to carry out a plot to attack the UFC Freedom 250 event and to murder federal officials at the highest levels of our government," Mr. Gerace said. "Political discourse has many places in our society. Political violence has none."

Prosecutors allege the men planned to use explosive drones to create a diversion before using snipers to target attendees fleeing the June 14 event. According to the Justice Department, the defendants amassed firearms, ammunition, body armor, explosives, drones and communications equipment after the alleged plot began in May.

The indictment charges conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and conspiracy to commit murder on federal government property and to murder federal government officials. Authorities learned of the alleged plot four days before the event. Seven suspects were arrested shortly afterward, and the eighth was arrested this week by the FBI in West Virginia.

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