A newly unsealed FBI affidavit reveals what authorities say was a chilling plan to turn one of the most high-profile events in America into a mass-casualty attack.

Federal officials announced Tuesday that they arrested five men accused of plotting to attack Sunday’s UFC Freedom 250 event on the South Lawn of the White House, where thousands gathered alongside President Donald Trump, senior government officials, military personnel, and invited guests. According to court filings, the suspects allegedly planned a coordinated assault using explosive-laden drones and sniper teams positioned to fire on panicked crowds.

The alleged plot was uncovered before it could be carried out, thanks in part to a tip from the mother of one of the suspects, 19-year-old Tycen Proper of Ohio. Investigators say she alerted authorities after becoming concerned about her son’s weapons purchases, online activity, and increasingly extremist rhetoric.

According to the FBI affidavit, the attack was designed to unfold in multiple stages.

Prosecutors allege that members of the group intended to launch drones carrying explosive devices over the north side of the White House event. The explosions were allegedly intended to trigger panic and force attendees to flee through predetermined evacuation routes. Waiting along those routes, authorities say, would have been sniper teams tasked with firing into the crowd.

Investigators say the conspirators communicated through encrypted messaging platforms and spent weeks discussing logistics, escape routes, weapons acquisition, and potential targets. Court documents describe maps marked with attack positions, drone launch sites, sniper locations, and safe houses. One suspect allegedly discussed constructing a bunker beneath a shed on his Missouri property while preparing for what the group believed would be the start of a larger anti-government uprising.

Authorities identified several of the accused, including Proper, Daniel Eskridge of Missouri, and Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez of Nebraska. According to prosecutors, Alvarez allegedly provided detailed reconnaissance information, including possible drone launch points and sniper positions around the White House grounds.

Federal agents executed searches across multiple states and reportedly recovered firearms, ammunition, tactical gear, ballistic equipment, and other materials connected to the alleged conspiracy. Officials believe the network extended far beyond the five men currently charged, with as many as 19 to 23 individuals participating in encrypted group chats tied to the planning effort.

The Justice Department has charged the suspects with offenses including conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, firearms violations, and conspiracy against the United States. The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have indicated additional arrests are possible.

The UFC event proceeded without incident on Sunday, but the newly released court filings paint a disturbing picture of what officials believe could have happened had the plot gone undetected.

FBI Director Kash Patel called the operation a major success for law enforcement and credited agents across multiple field offices with preventing what authorities describe as a planned terrorist attack targeting both government officials and civilians.

For now, federal investigators are focused on determining just how extensive the alleged network was and whether others remain at large. But the affidavit makes one thing clear: authorities believe the suspects were not merely venting online. They were actively preparing for violence.