FBI disrupts explosive-drone plot targeting White House UFC event
The FBI and its law enforcement partners disrupted a plot targeting this weekend’s UFC Freedom 250 event in Washington, D.C., officials told Fox News Digital.
Five people were in custody as of Monday, and investigators identified 23 people as part of a potential network of plotters. The plan involved using explosive-laden drones to hit buildings near the event, force a mass evacuation and steer crowds toward a pre-staged sniper team, officials said.
A "second wave" was then allegedly planned to storm the White House gate, according to officials.
The FBI first learned of the threat on June 10 and worked with partners to secure probable cause for an arrest in Cincinnati, where one suspect was taken into custody.
The U.S. Secret Service said it "worked closely" with the FBI during the investigation.
"In the days leading up to this weekend, our special agents, mission support personnel, and technical security teams worked around the clock to identify those responsible and hold them accountable," Secret Service Director Sean Curran said in a statement. "Equally important to our protective mission is ensuring accountability through the justice system. To that end, our formal comments regarding the specifics of this case will be made through court filings."
Investigators later uncovered Signal chats in which multiple people discussed attacking the UFC event. An initial review of one suspect’s iPhone identified at least 23 Signal users discussing pre-operational activity, officials said.
Some of those involved planned to travel to Fredericksburg, Virginia, on June 12 or 13 to prepare for the attack.
One suspect told investigators the goal was to target "capitalist elites," "billionaires" or politicians who received donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
The investigation stretched across at least 12 FBI field offices.
FBI Director Kash Patel credited the FBI, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and law enforcement partners with acting quickly across multiple states to prevent the alleged attack.
"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 planned attacks were stopped cold," Patel said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Patel said the operation showed the FBI’s ability to respond quickly when threats emerge.
"While the result represented the best of investigative work, it was also nothing out of the ordinary for this law enforcement team," Patel said. "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. That’s exactly what we did here."
Reacting to the news on "FOX & Friends" Tuesday, Vice President JD Vance called it "very, very dark stuff."
"This is what happens when people turn the rhetoric up so loud that disagreeing with somebody is a cause for violence," Vance said. "We got to tell everybody to tone it down."
"Everybody has a role to cut this stuff out," Vance continued. "But I think a lot of my Democratic colleagues in Washington have got to look themselves in the mirror and say, why is so much of this political violence coming from our side of the spectrum?"
Five people were in custody as of Monday, and investigators identified 23 people as part of a potential network of plotters. The plan involved using explosive-laden drones to hit buildings near the event, force a mass evacuation and steer crowds toward a pre-staged sniper team, officials said.
A "second wave" was then allegedly planned to storm the White House gate, according to officials.
The FBI first learned of the threat on June 10 and worked with partners to secure probable cause for an arrest in Cincinnati, where one suspect was taken into custody.
The U.S. Secret Service said it "worked closely" with the FBI during the investigation.
"In the days leading up to this weekend, our special agents, mission support personnel, and technical security teams worked around the clock to identify those responsible and hold them accountable," Secret Service Director Sean Curran said in a statement. "Equally important to our protective mission is ensuring accountability through the justice system. To that end, our formal comments regarding the specifics of this case will be made through court filings."
Investigators later uncovered Signal chats in which multiple people discussed attacking the UFC event. An initial review of one suspect’s iPhone identified at least 23 Signal users discussing pre-operational activity, officials said.
Some of those involved planned to travel to Fredericksburg, Virginia, on June 12 or 13 to prepare for the attack.
One suspect told investigators the goal was to target "capitalist elites," "billionaires" or politicians who received donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
The investigation stretched across at least 12 FBI field offices.
FBI Director Kash Patel credited the FBI, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and law enforcement partners with acting quickly across multiple states to prevent the alleged attack.
"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 planned attacks were stopped cold," Patel said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Patel said the operation showed the FBI’s ability to respond quickly when threats emerge.
"While the result represented the best of investigative work, it was also nothing out of the ordinary for this law enforcement team," Patel said. "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. That’s exactly what we did here."
Reacting to the news on "FOX & Friends" Tuesday, Vice President JD Vance called it "very, very dark stuff."
"This is what happens when people turn the rhetoric up so loud that disagreeing with somebody is a cause for violence," Vance said. "We got to tell everybody to tone it down."
"Everybody has a role to cut this stuff out," Vance continued. "But I think a lot of my Democratic colleagues in Washington have got to look themselves in the mirror and say, why is so much of this political violence coming from our side of the spectrum?"
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