FBI thwarted alleged plot to attack White House UFC event, Kash Patel says

Multiple people are in custody after law enforcement thwarted an alleged plot to attack Sunday’s UFC cage fight that drew thousands of spectators to the White House lawn, FBI Director Kash Patel said Tuesday.

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“On 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,” Patel said in a post on X.

Patel did not immediately reveal the details of the “potential threat,” but shared a Fox News story in his post that reported the alleged plan involved “using explosive-laden drones to hit buildings near the event” in order to force a mass evacuation and steer crowds toward a pre-staged sniper team. The story cited “officials.”

The FBI declined to comment further than Patel’s post, and additional information is expected to be released once charges against the individuals involved are unsealed.

The reported plot is the latest in a string of high-profile security threats that allegedly targeted the Trump administration. In April, a gunman attempted to storm the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, which was attended by President Donald Trump and many senior administration officials. That incident followed two alleged attempts to assassinate Trump in 2024.

Trump said Tuesday that he was unaware of the alleged attack plan while speaking to reporters at the annual Group of Seven summit in France.