Two more suspects have been arrested by the FBI for alleged involvement in the thwarted drone plot during the UFC event at the White House last week, bringing the total to seven, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Monday.
William Lee Spartacus Falkner and Jordan W. Rincker were both charged with conspiracy to commit murder for their alleged roles in the plot, the DOJ said.
Faulkner is alleged to have discussed the manufacture and piloting of drones in order to attack the event, including how to load explosives onto them.
"I’m pretty sure the effective kill radius is 50 meters," Falkner allegedly said. "It will be loud, but it’ll be quick."
Rincker, meanwhile, is alleged to have accepted $1,200 from another arrested conspirator, Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, in order to distribute it among individuals involved in the plan. He also gave Alvarez a 12-gauge pump action shotgun during a meeting in Omaha, the DOJ stated, exchanging it for a ballistic plate, face shield, night vision goggles, binoculars, a “wire checker,” an ammunition-filled bandolier, a 3D printer, 3D printing filament, and a minicomputer.
The 3D printer was intended for making drones, the DOJ said. However, Rincker claimed in an interview with investigators that he had never attempted to build drones and did not know how.
FBI thwarts drone attack at UFC Freedom 250
The FBI thwarted the potential attack involving explosive drones targeting the White House during the weekend’s UFC Freedom 250 event, FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed last week.
According to officials speaking to FOX News, the plan was to launch explosive drones to hit buildings near the event to drive spectators into a sniper ambush, and then storm the White House gates, with the goal being to target "capitalist elites," "billionaires," or politicians who received donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
Shir Perets contributed to this report.