Washington: The FBI Tuesday said it had foiled a possible attack on the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event here last weekend and arrested multiple people.
The UFC event, organised on the White House lawns Sunday, and streamed live at a large park, was attended by President Donald Trump, his cabinet colleagues and special invitees. Tens of thousands had gathered at South Park near the White House to watch the event on giant screens.
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, FBI Director Kash Patel said in a post on X.
Fox News reported that five people were in custody as of Monday, and investigators identified 23 people as part of a potential network of plotters.
The alleged 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, Fox News quoted unnamed officials as saying.
A second wave was then allegedly planned to storm the White House gate, according to officials.
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 said.
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 FBI Director said.