Calimesa man among eight Federally indicted in alleged plot to attack White House UFC event
CALIMESA, Calif. — A 25-year-old Calimesa man is among eight individuals indicted by a federal grand jury in Ohio in connection with an alleged conspiracy to carry out a deadly attack targeting government officials and attendees at a UFC event held at the White House last month.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Bryan O. Roa, of Calimesa, was named in a two-count federal indictment accusing the group of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists and conspiring to commit murder on federal government property, including the alleged planned assassination of federal officials.
Federal prosecutors allege the defendants spent weeks planning an attack on the UFC Freedom 250 event held at the White House on June 14. Investigators say the group communicated through encrypted messaging platforms and social media while allegedly gathering firearms, ammunition, explosives, drones, tactical gear, medical supplies and communications equipment.
Authorities allege the conspirators also conducted combat and marksmanship training, assigned operational roles and developed plans for carrying out the attack and escaping afterward.
According to the indictment, the alleged targets included the President of the United States, the Vice President, other federal officials, the Prime Minister of Israel, billionaire Elon Musk and what prosecutors described as "other high-value targets."
Roa is one of eight defendants named in the indictment. The others are from Ohio, Nebraska, Missouri, Washington, West Virginia and California.
The federal indictment alleges the conspiracy began in May 2026, with participants communicating through Signal, Discord, SimpleX, TikTok and Instagram. Prosecutors claim members recruited others into the alleged plot and organized participants using a tiered system based on their expected level of involvement.
Authorities said the indictment replaces earlier criminal complaints that had been filed against several defendants in multiple federal districts following arrests around the time of the June 14 event.
One of the eight defendants, a West Virginia man, was arrested this week after investigators alleged he had been assigned as one of the group's snipers and was still attempting to travel to Washington, D.C., after learning another alleged conspirator had been arrested.
If convicted, the conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists charge carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison, while the conspiracy to commit murder charge carries a potential sentence of up to life in prison.
The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Ohio and the Department of Justice's National Security Division with assistance from the FBI, U.S. Secret Service and numerous federal and local law enforcement agencies across the country.
