Disaster could’ve struck at Sunday’s UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House. FBI Director Kash Patel on Tuesday said a multi-state operation led to several arrests tied to an alleged plot targeting the UFC event on the South Lawn, which coincided with President Trump’s 80th birthday and drew more than 4,000 people, including UFC CEO Dana White, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, per the Hill. Patel said investigators first picked up on the threat Wednesday via Signal chats involving 23 people outside the DC area, then moved quickly with Justice Department and local partners.
Patel declined to describe the suspected plan or identify those detained, citing an ongoing investigation, but said additional details would be released as permitted. According to Fox News, the alleged plot involved using drones laden with explosives to attack the crowd, with a sniper team waiting to target those fleeing. The outlet reports five people have been detained, including one in Cincinnati. One suspect allegedly claimed the goal was to target “capitalist elites,” “billionaires,” and politicians backed by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, per Fox. Patel said the plan was “stopped cold,” adding it was “nothing out of the ordinary” for federal agents.
