A group of individuals had allegedly planned a major terror attack on the combat sports extravaganza
The FBI foiled a plot to attack a UFC event attended by US President Donald Trump over the weekend, agency director Kash Patel confirmed on Tuesday.
The title fight, staged on the White House grounds as part of the America 250 celebrations and Trump’s 80th birthday festivities, sparked controversy over the use of a national landmark for a sporting spectacle and prompted a failed legal bid to halt the event. It also reportedly became the target of a large-scale terrorist plot.
According to multiple US media reports citing FBI officials, the agency uncovered the alleged plot last week and arrested at least five suspects. The group is accused of planning to use explosive-laden drones to attack the event, trigger mass panic, and then target fleeing spectators with sniper fire. Investigators say the suspects also intended to storm the White House gates and breach the compound.
Patel confirmed the reports, saying the plot was uncovered on June 10 and that the FBI, working with partner agencies, moved quickly to prevent what he described as a planned attack on the “historic” UFC event.
“Thanks to the rapid action of the 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 wrote on X.
The FBI director revealed that the agency had identified 23 people involved in discussing “pre-operational activity” in chats on the messaging app Signal. Patel did not elaborate on how many suspects ended up in custody or provide any further details, promising to brief the public on the investigation later on.
The high-profile combat sports event was attended by more than 4,000 people, including some 1,200 active-duty military personnel. Up to 85,000 more people attended a ticketed watch party at the Ellipse park just to the south of the White House, where giant screens were erected to broadcast the fights.
