Two more arrested in alleged plot to attack UFC event at White House
Two more men have been arrested since Friday in connection with an alleged plot targeting this month’s Ultimate Fighting Championship event on the White House lawn, prosecutors said Monday.
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William Lee Spartacus Falkner was arrested in Washington state Friday, and Jordan W. Rincker was arrested in Missouri on Sunday, the Department of Justice said.
The new arrests bring the total connected to the alleged plot to seven. No one was injured at the event, and no attack was carried out.
Federal prosecutors have said that conspirators in the alleged plot had discussed flying drones loaded with explosives over the event and then shooting into the fleeing crowd.
Falkner and Rincker have each been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit murder, the Department of Justice said.
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According to the Justice Department, Falkner is trained in how to use drones and allegedly discussed how to use them with explosives in online communications.
Rincker is accused of taking $1,200 from another person previously arrested to give to others involved, the Justice Department alleges.
Rincker also allegedly met that man in Omaha and gave him a 12-gauge pump shotgun, according to federal officials. The man allegedly gave Rincker a ballistic plate, 3-D printer and other items, the Justice Department said.
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Investigators on Sunday found two rifles, a 9mm pistol and a 3D-printed Glock-style handgun, a gas mask, ballistic plate and plate carrier, a shield and other items at his home and in a storage container, the Justice Department said.
Both men have been charged by criminal complaint, which is different than an indictment returned by a grand jury.
Online federal court documents on Monday did not show whether Falkner or Rinker have entered pleas.
A federal public defender listed as representing Falkner did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment, and records did not appear to show an attorney for Rinker on Monday afternoon.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship event, known as the UFC Freedom 250, was June 14 — President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday — in a venue erected on the White House lawn. It was said by the administration to mark America’s 250th anniversary.
Trump, administration officials and VIPs that included Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg were among those who attended the live event.
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