Plot to Attack White House UFC Event Included Data Center Grievances

Five people have been arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder in a plot targeting the UFC Freedom 250 card held June 14 on the South Lawn of the White House. Prosecutors said the group planned to use explosive-laden drones over the crowd and then shoot attendees and high-value targets as they fled.

The investigation began June 10 when a 19-year-old suspect's mother contacted police about her son's stockpiled weapons and his participation in an online group. According to prosecutors, the group voiced grievances about government corruption, the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, and data centers taking up water in communities.

10, prosecutors say Daniel Moreno-Gama threw a Molotov cocktail at the San Francisco home of OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman and then threatened to burn down the company's headquarters. Investigators reported finding writings in which Moreno-Gama opposed AI and warned of impending extinction.

Four days earlier, Indianapolis City-County Councilman Ron Gibson found 13 rounds fired into his home after he voted for a data center project. " In Saline Township, Michigan, Treasurer Jennifer Zink resigned in May, citing death threats tied to a 1.4-gigawatt data center project.

The board had voted against rezoning farmland for the project, which is part of OpenAI and Oracle's Stargate initiative.

The Soufan Center reported in May that online rhetoric threatening physical action against data centers and AI infrastructure had begun appearing in real-world targeting of people tied to construction. Research analyst Clara Broekaert told Heatmap News that threats increasingly name local officials who approve projects.