Report: Suspects in White House plot also targeted Netanyahu

New details from the foiled plot to attack a UFC event at the White House show that the suspects allegedly aimed not only at top U.S. figures, but also at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to the indictment and reports cited by the Israeli outlet N12, the targets discussed included President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance and Elon Musk, while one suspect’s messages also referred to Netanyahu. Another suspect allegedly listed several senators and members of Congress as possible targets.

The FBI said Tuesday that five people were arrested after authorities disrupted a plan to attack the event held Sunday on White House grounds as part of Trump’s 80th birthday celebrations. Court documents say the group discussed using explosive drones, with snipers waiting at positions around the complex, followed by a second wave of armed attackers rushing the White House gates. Investigators said the suspects believed in an ideology meant to accelerate the collapse of the existing society so a new order could replace it.

The case accelerated on June 10, after the mother of one of the main suspects, 19-year-old Tysen Proffert, contacted police and said she was worried about his behavior. She told officers he had bought weapons, contacted an extremist online group, searched for locations around Washington and the White House, and talked about hit-and-run style missions. She also said he had been scouting different sites and communicating with a group on social media and private messaging apps. Based on that tip and other online communications, law enforcement quickly identified the group and arrested suspects in Ohio, California, Nebraska and Missouri.

Proffert reportedly admitted to investigators that he and others had planned to attack the U.S. government during the UFC event. The suspects were said to have intended to travel to the Fredericksburg, Virginia area to carry out the plan. Investigators also said the case involves antisemitic views among some participants, and hostility toward politicians seen as pro-Israel. One arrestee, Abraham Alvarez, is accused of discussing attacks on Trump, Vance, Netanyahu and Musk, trying to find a drone operator, owning at least one drone and helping seek explosives. Officers also found detailed planning materials in Proffert’s home, including maps and photos of Washington with sniper positions and drone launch points marked. Proffert’s father told police his son had recently spent his graduation money on weapons, ammunition, extra magazines, vests and other gear. Secret Service Deputy Director Matt Quinn said more suspects remain unidentified, and Trump said at the G7 summit in France that he had not been told about the threat.