Inside the social media trail of alleged UFC Freedom 250 plot suspect Bryan Roa
WASHINGTON, DC: One of the five suspects arrested and charged in connection with an alleged plot targeting the 'UFC Freedom 250' fights at the White House posted scores of anti-Trump, white supremacist, and antisemitic videos on TikTok before his arrest.
Authorities arrested Bryan Omar Roa, 24, from Calimesa, on June 13, a day before the fight, as part of a coordinated operation that also netted his associates across Ohio, California, Nebraska, and Missouri.
Court documents reveal that the plot, which was discussed online by several people, included using drones with explosives to hit buildings near the UFC Freedom 250 fight and have snipers target "certain high-value targets."
The suspects face charges from conspiracy to commit murder to attempted murder of an officer or employee of the United States, and weapons charges.
Bryan Omar Roa posted wild anti-Trump, antisemitic TikTok memes
Roa has denied participating in the alleged plot targeting the UFC event, allegedly telling investigators he merely intended to attend a protest during the event, according to the court documents.
However, authorities say Roa shared footage of himself firing weapons on Instagram and told investigators that a “hypothetical” drone attack on a public event would be a good way to “enact political change.”
He also reshared TikToks and memes from like-minded accounts that advocated for a violent revolution in the United States and the overthrow of the government, many of which carried themes of white supremacy and conspiracy theories, according to The New York Post.
“The people calling you an extremist are eating babies,” one post read, with the text laid over the helmet of a Crusader knight and a double-headed eagle.
Roa also reposted a video depicting a Donald Trump 'Make America Great Again' flag being burned, accompanied by 'Erika,' a German military song widely linked to Nazi forces.
“When you finally understand what’s going on,” the video read. “The left calls you MAGA, the right calls you liberal, but really you're just an American who sees it how it is.”
Other reposted content appeared to bash Trump, with one highlighting the president's claim, “I didn’t guarantee no war,” during an interview about the conflict with Iran, before cutting to a montage of campaign-trail clips in which he repeatedly promised not to involve the US in foreign wars.
Authorities say suspects aligned with 'accelerationist' ideology
Investigators stated that the five suspects, including Roa, aligned with “accelerationist” ideology, a fringe extremist ideology that seeks to destabilize society and accelerate the collapse of governments and social systems.
The ideology has frequently been associated with white supremacist groups that saw disorder and violence as a weapon for overthrowing the government and achieving political change.
Trump wasn’t the only target in Roa’s social media posting; many posts also took aim at Israel. One post described the Middle Eastern country as an “evil” puppet master controlling America through money in a classical antisemitic trope.
He also shared claims that data centers were being constructed to create an AI-powered surveillance state and described elected officials as mere “actors” serving hidden interests.
“They’ve brought us nothing but chaos, enslavement, taking your money, sending your child to go fight for something we don’t even know,” one reposted video said. “I think their time is up. And I think everyone around the world feels it.”
