Politics
FBI Claims Plot Involving Explosive Drones Was Targeting White House’s UFC Freedom 250 Event
The FBI and U.S. Secret Service said that they shut down an alleged plot targeting the recent UFC Freedom 250 event held over the weekend at the White House.
According to a Tuesday, June 16, Fox News Digital report, five people were in custody as of Monday, and investigators identified 23 people connected to the alleged plan to attack.
“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 to Fox.
“Equally important to our protective mission is ensuring accountability through the justice system,” Curran added. “To that end, our formal comments regarding the specifics of this case will be made through court filings.”
Fox reported that, per officials, the alleged threat — which the FBI learned of on June 10 — involved using explosive drones to hit nearby buildings and drive crowds toward a sniper team. A “second wave” would then allegedly storm the White House.
One person was reportedly arrested in Cincinnati. A chat on the messaging app Signal, including at least 23 users, was eventually discovered, according to officials.
“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 statement to Fox.
The UFC Freedom 250 — a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on the South Lawn of the White House — had approximately 4,300 people in attendance, including multiple members of President Donald Trump‘s administration.
Following the event, UFC CEO Dana White said that a repeat of the Freedom 250 at the White House is unlikely, according to the Associated Press.
“It was an amazing experience, this was a one-of-one,” said White. “It will never happen again.”
