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Eighth suspect charged in White House UFC terror plot
Chandler Scaggs, 21, was arrested by the FBI in West Virginia. He and seven others face charges of providing material support to terrorists and conspiring to murder government officials.
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A 21-year-old West Virginia man became the eighth person charged in an alleged plot to attack last month's Ultimate Fighting Championship event at the White House, federal prosecutors said Thursday.
Chandler Scaggs of Chapmanville was arrested Tuesday by the FBI in West Virginia, the Justice Department said in a statement. He and seven others face two conspiracy counts: providing material support to terrorists and conspiring to murder government officials on government grounds.
The indictment, returned Thursday in Columbus, Ohio, alleges the eight suspects were among nearly two dozen people who plotted to attack the White House's Freedom 250 UFC event on June 14. The event was staged to celebrate the United States' 250th anniversary and President Donald Trump's 80th birthday.
Prosecutors said the co-conspirators planned to hit the north side of the event with explosive-laden drones, forcing fight spectators to evacuate to the south. Stationed snipers would then open fire on the fleeing crowd, according to the indictment. Scaggs was to be one of the snipers, prosecutors alleged.
The eight defendants began plotting in May, the indictment states. The material-support charge stems from allegations that they worked together to procure money, firearms, ammunition, body armor, drones and other resources. That charge carries up to 15 years in prison.