Justice department announces charges against five men for alleged plot to attack UFC White House event – as it happened

This live blog is now closed. For more coverage of US politics, you can follow our live coverage of tonight’s primary elections. The justice department has announced charges against five men for an alleged plot to carry out an attack to kill government officials and others attending the UFC “Freedom 250” event held at the White House last Sunday. Earlier we reported that the FBI had launched an investigation into the plot and identified a group of five conspirators who procured weapons and made plans to carry out the alleged attack. The FBI made arrests over the weekend in Ohio, Missouri, Nebraska, and California. “The FBI, our law enforcement partners and our U.S. Attorneys did what they do every day to make America Safe through quick response and vigilance in investigating, disrupting, and dismantling this alleged plan before it could be carried out,” said acting attorney general Todd Blanche. “We will take immediate and aggressive action to identify and prosecute those who incite and plan acts of violence.” In a press release, the DOJ said that according to the charges, the five men allegedly planned to deploy drones armed with explosives in and around the UFC even