FBI foils explosive drone plot targeting Trump’s White House UFC event, multiple arrests made

The alleged plot

Fox News, citing unidentified law enforcement sources, reported that the plan involved using explosive-laden drones to hit buildings near the UFC event on the White House South Lawn. The explosions were intended to force a mass evacuation, steering the crowd toward a pre-staged sniper team. A second wave of attackers would then storm the White House gate. The group discussed the operation on the encrypted messaging platform Signal, according to the report.

FBI awareness and response

FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau and its law enforcement partners learned of a potential threat to the UFC America 250 event on June 10, four days before the Sunday fight card. In a statement posted on X, Patel said a multi-state operation with the Justice Department led to multiple individuals being taken into custody and the planned attacks being "stopped cold."

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.

Fox News reported that five people were in custody by Monday and that investigators had identified 23 individuals as part of a potential network of plotters. Arrests occurred in California, Missouri and Ohio, according to a source cited by the Associated Press.

Security on the day of the event

The UFC Freedom 250 card took place Sunday on the South Lawn, with a companion viewing party on the Ellipse. More than 4,000 people attended, and authorities erected multiple checkpoints and closed streets blocks from the White House. Secret Service Director Sean Curran said special agents, mission support personnel and technical security teams "worked around the clock" in the days before the event to identify those responsible.

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.

Curran added that further details would be released in court filings.

The bigger picture

The White House mixed martial arts spectacle was designed to mark America’s 250th anniversary and President Trump’s 80th birthday. UFC CEO Dana White, a close friend of Trump, ran the event. News of the thwarted plot comes against a backdrop of several recent attempts on Trump’s life, including a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, as Axios noted.