The FBI blocked a multi-stage attack aimed at President Donald Trump’s weekend UFC event on the White House lawn, FBI Director Kash Patel announced Tuesday morning.
Investigators uncovered encrypted Signal chat logs involving 23 individuals who were allegedly discussing “pre-operational activity” ahead of Sunday night’s “UFC Freedom 250” event. A multi-state law enforcement operation quickly followed, leaving five people in custody as of Monday.
According to intelligence details obtained by Fox News, the alleged plot was designed to unfold in two distinct phases. The first stage involved launching explosive-laden drones to target buildings in the surrounding area. Following the drone strikes, the second stage called for a physical storming of the White House gates.
Federal authorities first became aware of the conspiracy nearly a week before the historic fight took place.
“On June 10, FBI and our law enforcement partners became aware of a potential threat to the UFC America 250 event in Washington, D.C. involving individuals outside of the National Capital Region – and thanks to the rapid action of this FBI, our partners, and the Department of Justice in a multi-state operation, multiple individuals are now in custody and allegedly planned attacks were stopped cold,” Patel said in a statement released Tuesday.
The UFC event proceeded on Sunday night without disruption. Patel praised the coordination between the shifting local and federal agencies involved in the counter-terrorism sweep, framing the bust as a successful execution of standard protective protocols.
“While the result represented the best of investigative work, it was also nothing out of the ordinary for this law enforcement team – we are built to detect, respond to, and bring to justice those who threaten the lives of American citizens – particularly during large gatherings like the historic UFC 250 fight,” Patel’s statement continued. “That’s exactly what we did here. I want to thank our great agents and partners. This work remains ongoing, and we will continue to update the public as permitted.”
The Department of Justice and the FBI have not yet released the identities of the five individuals currently in custody, nor have they filed formal public charges. The investigation remains active as authorities continue to track the remaining participants identified in the messaging logs.
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