JUST IN: FBI Foils Shocking Plot To Attack UFC White House Event With Drones, Snipers

The FBI and its law enforcement partners disrupted an alleged plot to attack the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House with explosive drones and snipers, officials told Fox News Digital.

Five people were in custody as of Monday, and investigators identified 23 people as part of a potential network tied to the alleged plot.

Officials said the plan involved using explosive-laden drones to strike buildings near the event, trigger a mass evacuation and funnel crowds toward a pre-positioned sniper team.

A “second wave” was then allegedly planned to storm the White House gate, according to officials.

The FBI first learned of the threat June 10 and worked with law enforcement partners to secure probable cause for an arrest in Cincinnati, where one suspect was taken into custody.

The U.S. Secret Service said it “worked closely” with the FBI during the investigation.

“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. “Equally important to our protective mission is ensuring accountability through the justice system. To that end, our formal comments regarding the specifics of this case will be made through court filings.”

Investigators later uncovered Signal chats in which multiple people allegedly discussed attacking the UFC event.

An initial review of one suspect’s iPhone found at least 23 Signal users discussing pre-operational activity, officials said.

Some of those involved allegedly planned to travel to Fredericksburg, Virginia, on June 12 or 13 to prepare for the attack.

One suspect allegedly told investigators the goal was to target “capitalist elites,” “billionaires” or politicians who received donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

The investigation stretched across at least 12 FBI field offices.

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… pic.twitter.com/PbWkIk1Lr5

— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) June 16, 2026

FBI Director Kash Patel credited the FBI, the Department of Justice and law enforcement partners with acting quickly across multiple states to stop the alleged attack before it could unfold.

“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 statement to Fox News Digital.

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Patel said the case showed the FBI’s ability to respond quickly when major threats surface.

“While the result represented the best of investigative work, it was also nothing out of the ordinary for this law enforcement team,” Patel said. “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.”

“I want to thank our great agents and partners, this work remains ongoing, and we will continue to update the public as permitted,” Patel added.

The alleged plot targeted UFC Freedom 250, a high-profile event held on the White House South Lawn as part of President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday weekend.

The event drew an estimated 4,300 attendees, including about 1,200 active-duty service members, as 14 fighters from around the world competed inside a wire-mesh cage Sunday night.

President Trump and members of his family posed for photos in the Octagon after the UFC lightweight championship fight.

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Vice President JD Vance reacted to the alleged plot Tuesday on “FOX & Friends,” calling it “very, very dark stuff.”

“This is what happens when people turn the rhetoric up so loud that disagreeing with somebody is a cause for violence,” Vance said. “We got to tell everybody to tone it down.”

“Everybody has a role to cut this stuff out,” Vance continued. “But I think a lot of my Democratic colleagues in Washington have got to look themselves in the mirror and say, why is so much of this political violence coming from our side of the spectrum?”

The alleged plot comes amid a growing list of threats and security incidents involving Trump and senior administration officials.

For federal law enforcement, the case is another grim reminder of the danger surrounding major public events in an increasingly volatile political climate.

For the country, the message is even starker: the FBI says a mass-casualty attack aimed at a White House event was stopped before drones, snipers and chaos could turn a national celebration into a nightmare.

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