Murder, terror charges for suspects in Trump cage fight attack plot

Eight men accused in an alleged plot to attack a White House mixed martial arts fight hosted by President Donald Trump in June have been indicted on murder and terrorism conspiracy charges, officials said Friday.

The suspects, ranging in age from 19 to 32, are accused of planning to use armed drones to attack the event on the  presidential mansion's South Lawn, with snipers firing on "high value targets" in the chaos.

Law enforcement officials said they foiled the plot in the lead-up to the June 14 "UFC Freedom 250" event, which coincided with Trump's 80th birthday and ultimately took place without incident.

It attracted thousands of fans to the fights in a temporary arena called "The Claw" that towered over the White House.

"The group allegedly planned to carry out a mass casualty attack involving the use of drones armed with explosives and firearms meant to shoot people fleeing in the crowds," FBI special agent Jason Cromartie told a press conference.

US Attorney Dominick Gerace said the eight alleged plotters were charged Thursday in a two-count federal indictment in Columbus, Ohio.

They are accused of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, conspiracy to commit murder on federal government territory and conspiracy to murder federal government officials "including the president of the United States, the vice president of the United States, and members of Congress," Gerace said.

The federal charges returned by a grand jury replace initial charges filed by prosecutors in various legal jurisdictions around the country.

Prosecutors said the plotters, who hailed from various states, had met in online chat groups to plan the attack, recruit members and encourage each other to carry out the assault.

The eighth suspect, 21-year-old Chandler Scaggs of West Virginia, was arrested this week and had allegedly been assigned to be a sniper, they said.

The White House is one of the most heavily guarded sites in the world, ringed with anti-aircraft capabilities, blanketed by surveillance, and staffed with specially trained response units.

The "UFC Freedom 250" event kicked off this year's festivities for the 250th anniversary of the declaration of US independence.

Trump has faced several assassination attempts in recent years, most recently in April when a gunman tried to storm a gala dinner hosted by the White House Correspondents' Association that Trump was attending.

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© Agence France-Presse