SEATTLE — Federal authorities charged William Lee Spartacus Falkner of Belfair, Washington, on Monday with conspiracy to commit murder in connection with an alleged plot to assassinate U.S. government officials and attack attendees during the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Freedom 250 event held at the White House on June 14, 2026. Falkner is the fourth person arrested in Washington state in connection with terrorism-related cases during President Donald J Trump’s second term.
According to the criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington before Magistrate Judge Brian A. Tsuchida, Falkner is accused of participating in a multi-state conspiracy that planned to use explosive-laden drones and positioned shooters to target high-value individuals, including President Doanld J Trump, members of Congress, and Cabinet officials.
The UFC Freedom 250 took place on the South Lawn of the White House. Approximately 4,300 invite-only spectators filled seats on the South Lawn, including active-duty military members, White House guests, UFC personnel and VIPs. At least 1,200 of those seats went to service members. Approximately 85,000 attendees viewed the fight across the street at the Ellipse, where a viewing party took place.
According to the 17-page complaint sworn by FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force Task Force Officer Marty Trevino, the plot involved at least seven individuals who collaborated through encrypted messaging apps such as Signal and SimpleX. The named co-conspirators in the court document are:
- Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, 31, of Omaha, Nebraska (identified as the group leader, referred to as “Shepherd”)
- William Lee Spartacus Falkner, 21, of Belfair, Washington
- Tycen C. Proper, 19, of Danville, Ohio
- Daniel Eskridge of Missouri (referred to as “Fulcrum”)
- Michael Allen Thomas (referred to as “Whiskey6”)
- Bryan Omar Roa, 24, of Calimesa, California (referred to as “Ghost/Noble”)
- Jordan W. Rincker, 28, of St. Joseph, Missouri
Five of the individuals were initially charged earlier last week. Falkner was arrested June 19 in Mason County, Washington. Rincker was arrested June 21 in Missouri. Both appeared in federal court on Monday, June 22. The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have indicated additional suspects could still be identified and charged—up to 19 individuals were in one Signal chat group linked to the plot.
Falkner had previously held a Nevada driver’s license linked to an address in that state, operated under the Telegram display name “William Lee Falkner” (account 6264935723) and Instagram username acheezy1. Investigators matched account details, a telephone number, IP addresses tracing to his current Belfair, WA, residence, and photographs from his accounts to Nevada DMV records and local property information. His grandmother is associated with the Belfair address.
Falkner joined the group’s “D Ops” Telegram channel on June 7, 2026, and communicated extensively with Alvarez, Thomas, and Eskridge about drone procurement, manufacturing, tactics, and explosives.
According to the Summary of Probable Cause, Falkner discussed with his alleged co-conspirators drone specifications, including fiber optic cable controls that could not be jammed, sufficient power to carry at least 12 pounds and then later referencing the ability to carry 155mm artillery shells, anti-interference measures such as Faraday lining, and prepositioning drones on rooftops for the event.
He offered to supply five or more drones from a network involving contacts in the Pacific Northwest, Nevada, and Missouri, with manufacturing capabilities via 3D printing for carbon fiber frames and flight control chips. He estimated costs of $200–300 per drone plus shipping and bragged that he could fly up to 40 drones simultaneously.
Falkner referred to using Ukraine-style tactics and that 2–3 times the number of drones per target would be used for maximum impact. He estimated an effective kill radius of about 50 meters for who he referred to as “meat.”
“I mean there will be piles of meat, directional frag charges where the frag goes 350 m/s only really has the ballistic capability to MAYBE go through an arm or two…If you want them gone, you need something bigger than a little Ukrainian present from the sky,” Falkner wrote.
The plan apparently called for the drones to attack the event on one side to force those in attendance to try to exit from the other side of the event where they could be shot by coconspirators with sniper rifles and other weapons.
According to co-conspirator Tycen Proper’s June 11, 2026, interview with the FBI while he was at a mental health facility, the domestic terror group plan of carnage involved:
- Staging a demonstration or distraction on the north side of the White House grounds while simultaneously fly small, unmanned drones carrying explosive devices that would detonate over the north side of the UFC event area to create panic and force the crowd (including High Value Targets such as the President, members of Congress, Cabinet officials, and other dignitaries) to evacuate southward.
- Positioned snipers and additional shooters on the south side would then shoot-to-kill fleeing attendees and HVTs as they ran from the drone explosions.
The two-stage attack was corroborated by digital evidence extracted from Proper’s phone, including Signal group chats that contained maps of the National Capital Region, highlighted sniper positions, potential drone launch locations, escape routes, a potential safe house, and other tactical details.
“Well this ain’t gonna be a false flag like the last 10 attempts on his life,” Falkner wrote in one of the encrypted group chats. “Every week now we hear some guy went over there alone with a gun and gets shot. I don’t get what’s so hard about just flying a few drones and getting some help to do so.”
On June 10, Falkner discussed a “work trip” with another user, acknowledging a “bad feeling” but stating “it has to be done.”
After several co-conspirators were arrested, Falkner posted on June 18 that the “work trip is canceled” because “my boss got picked up,” sent a news article about the arrests, and later wrote that the article mentioned everyone except him and known associates “because we took precautions,” adding, “We didn’t trust my boss to do this right going into everything. We all felt something was going wrong. Good news is I’m still being paid.”
The plot to attack the UFC Freedom 250 event on Signal and SimpleX began in mid-May 2026. Members were primarily recruited through a TikTok group/channel called “VANGUARD OF THE OLD,” with individuals who proved themselves transitioned to vetted Signal chats. There was a primary large chat involving approximately 19 participants and smaller operational subgroups organized by role or location (e.g., specific shooter positions).
Alvarez was the leader of the group, Eskridge directly below him, Thomas and others in supporting leadership or team roles, and Proper reporting to Eskridge. Falkner participated in the drone-specific “D Ops” channel.
The group expressed strong anti-government sentiments, such as grievances including government corruption, the handling of the Epstein files, and the impact of data centers on communities.
Proper’s mother told investigators that online interactions had caused her son to lean heavily into religion and that she believed the individuals were using religion to manipulate him. Proper’s family also reported his recent sympathetic comments about Adolf Hitler and anti-Semitic posts on Facebook. After his arrest, Thomas stated that the aim of the UFC attack and subsequent actions was to create enough chaos to bring about the overthrow of the U.S. government.
Falkner currently faces one count of conspiracy to commit murder in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1117, but more charges can follow. The other co-conspirators face similar conspiracy charges. If convicted, Falkner and the others could face up to life in prison.
Falkner is the fourth person who has been arrested in Washington state in connection with terrorism-related cases during President Trump’s second term.
In August, Teresa “Milo” Youngblut, 21, of Seattle, has been charged for the murder of Border Patrol agent David Maland, the assault of two additional agents with a deadly weapon, and related firearms offenses.
Youngblut, who is a biological female, goes by the name “Milo” and does not identify as male nor female. Authorities have linked Youngblut to a trans terror cult called “The Ziz” or “Zizians” this is linked to at least eight deaths in multiple states. The trans woman leader of the cult is named Jack “Ziz” LaSota, 34, of Berkeley, California, who faked her own death and uses “rationalist ideology as a reason to commit violence.”
Youngblut was a University of Washington student who attended Lakeside School, an upscale private school in Seattle where 2025-2026 school year tuition is $49,350, according to the school’s website.
Saed Ali Mirreh,19, of Kent, Washington, was arrested and charged with conspiring to provide material support to ISIS, in connection to that foiled Halloween terrorism plot in Michigan.
Then on November 26, 2025, an ambush shooting of National Guard in Washington, D.C., was carried out by Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who had been living in Bellingham, Washington after resettling under Operation “Allies Welcome.”
Lakanwal drove roughly 2,800 miles from his home in Bellingham to D.C. On the afternoon of November 26, he approached two West Virginia National Guard members, just two blocks from the White House, and opened fire shooting both in the head at close range. He allegedly yelled “Allahu Akbar” during the attack.
Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died the next day from her injuries;, whereas SSG Andrew Wolfe, 24, from West Virgin survived and has been recovering ever since.
Lakanwal still remains in custody and is being charged with First-degree premeditated murder while armed, assault with intent to kill while armed, firearm violations during a crime of violence, and interstate transportation of a stolen firearm. He has pled not guilty.
Editor’s Note: Article updated from three to read that “Falkner is the fourth person who has been arrested in Washington state in connection with terrorism-related cases during President Trump’s second term.”
Author: Mario Lotmore
2 Responses
“Falkner is the third person who has been arrested in Washington state in connection with terrorism-related cases during President Trump’s second term.”
He is the fourth. Teresa Youngblut, a 21-year-old Seattle native, was indicted for fatally shooting U.S. Border Patrol Agent David Maland in Vermont. She was a follower of a cult-like network called the “Zizians,” which was led by a transgender woman.
You are correct. I will update article later tonight.