Eight people have been charged with terrorism crimes over an alleged plot to kill government officials and other high-profile figures, including President Donald Trump, at last month’s UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House.

All of the men, ages 19 to 32, are charged with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, as well as conspiracy to commit murder on federal government territory and murdering a federal government official.

This week, one of the defendants was arrested in West Virginia, adding to a list of suspects already detained.

The defendants could face life in prison if convicted of murder and up to 15 years if convicted of terrorism crimes.

The alleged plot was discovered after the mother of one of the suspects, Tycen J Proper, called local authorities on June 10, days before the June 14 televised mixed martial arts event, which was part of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations.

Proper’s mother was concerned about his large firearm purchases and what she had seen of his online communication with a group claiming to be ex-military and Christian-based.

They had specifically discussed “complaints about government corruption, the handling of Epstein’s files, data centers consuming all the water in communities, and other government actions,” prosecutors previously said.

According to the FBI, Proper said the group wanted to “spur a revolution in America” ​​by attacking the event.

Part of the plan involved attacking nearby buildings with explosive-laden drones and shooting at “high-value targets,” prosecutors alleged.

By using the drones, the alleged plotters intended to cause panic and lure the fleeing crowd toward a sniper team, according to federal prosecutors. A “second wave” of attackers was supposed to break through the White House gate.

An estimated 4,300 people, including the president, Vice President JD Vance, senior Cabinet officials and lawmakers, were present at the invitation-only event on the south lawn of the presidential complex.

Court documents related to another defendant, Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, said the group allegedly observed potential targets that included Trump and Vance, as well as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Elon Musk and several elected officials, although not all of them attended the UFC event.

Proper reportedly admitted to being part of planning the attack and told law enforcement officials that the group began communicating with each other in March and that members were primarily recruited through TikTok.

Authorities said the men used online platforms such as Signal, Instagram, TikTok and Discord to plan the attack.

It is unclear if the group is affiliated with any larger established organization.

In addition to Proper and Alvarez, US officials identified the defendants as Daniel K Eskridge, William LS Falkner, Jordan W Rincker, Bryan O Roa, Michael A Thomas and Chandler D Scaggs, who was arrested this week in West Virginia.

Police documents show they were based across the country, from California to Missouri to Nebraska.

A ninth person, Alexander Íñiguez Mercado, was arrested last week and charged with obstruction of justice.

Mercado is accused of deleting the Signal app from his phone after being contacted by an FBI agent, erasing evidence of an alleged connection to the group. He has pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The UFC event coincided with Trump’s 80th birthday and came two months after a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner he attended and a month after Secret Service agents killed a man after opening fire at a White House checkpoint.