“..to set this off we need an event or events that cause people to realize the revolution has officially begun.” So said an Ohio man arrested last week with several other co-conspirators.
The envisioned “revolution” was not a peaceful protest in the streets but instead a plot to murder more than 40 prominent Americans, including the president and business leaders, in attendance of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Freedom 250 event hosted on the White House grounds earlier this month. Involving explosive-laden drones and firearms, this coordinated attack would bring in the latest technology and incorporate tactics seen in the other recent assassination attempts — such as the one targeting President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Law enforcement from multiple federal agencies in coordination with local officials, and working off a tip from a concerned mother, disrupted the would-be plot. Federal criminal complaints identify five charged defendants, including a 31-year-old man from Omaha, Nebraska. The Nebraska resident, who reportedly used the alias “Shepherd” in group chats, was allegedly responsible for planning, organizing and directing the potential attack.
At the National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education (NCITE) Center — the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence for the study of terrorism — we were not surprised by the news. Indeed, the disrupted UFC Freedom 250 plot represents a potent mix of the threat streams that are increasingly defining today’s homeland security landscape — which can be aptly described as simply “everything, everywhere, all at once.”
Details shared about the defendants and plot illuminate aspects of the threat networks and tactics behind what NCITE studies: challenges to U.S. homeland security and defense.
First, according to our research, violent threats against public officials continue to increase — a trend which appears to be expanding to other prominent individuals in sectors outside of government. One defendant reportedly told investigators the goal was to kill “capitalist elites,” “billionaires” or politicians who received donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. The increased targeting of leaders comes as we observe growing positive sentiments of violent resistance against perceived oppressors and decreasing trust in governing institutions, nationwide.
Second, key segments of the domestic terrorist landscape are mobilized by a patchwork of disparate grievances and sentiments, rather than coherent ideologies. The federal criminal complaints associated with the UFC Freedom 250 plot indicate that network members espoused a wide range of beliefs and theories — especially those of an anti-government, anti-Israel, antisemitic, anti-technology and anti-corporate nature. Notably, the UFC Freedom 250 event afforded consolidated access to leaders and officials which aligned with these distinct motivations.
Third, enabled by access to encrypted messaging apps as well as gaming and social media platforms, threat actors’ networks based in the United States are increasingly organized around ecosystems rather than centralized discrete organizations. The UFC Freedom 250 conspiracy spans multiple states and involved the use of multiple communication platforms. Federal criminal complaints identify five charged defendants, the group also appears to have included other online participants who were not named in public complaints. This includes both adults and at least one teenager.
Fourth, terrorists and other violent criminals are integrating drones into nearly every stage of the attack cycle. The UFC Freedom 250 conspirators allegedly plotted to deploy drones armed with explosives in and around the event to force an evacuation of the event and then planned to deploy snipers to fire upon “high value targets” within the fleeing crowd. Recent terrorism-related incidents in the U.S. have seen the use of drones to support pre-operational planning and surveillance and as explosive weapons against critical infrastructure.
As the case progresses, the public will learn whether the alleged plotters had achieved concrete progress in their aims — such as developing explosives, acquiring drones or traveling to the planned attack location — and how close they were to execution.
As demonstrated by the evident coordination across the bureau, Secret Service, and half a dozen local police departments, this UFC Freedom 250 plot underscores the need for continued vigilance, community support and strong collaboration across the counterterrorism and homeland security workforce. The plot was disrupted following a tip from one of the defendant’s parents, affirming that humans may still be the best sensors to disrupt mass casualty violence.
Nebraskans can report non-emergency suspicious activity — e.g., usual collection of explosive precursor chemicals, surveillance of potential targets, expressed or implied threats — through the Nebraska Information Analysis Center’s phone hotline or online form.
As emerging technologies, mixed grievances and terrorist ideologies, and online ecosystems continue to accelerate and reshape the threat landscape, Americans cannot afford to wait for the next plot to show us what has changed — we have to stay ahead of it.