Federal authorities have arrested multiple individuals accused of plotting an attack on the UFC event held on the South Lawn of the White House last Sunday.
According to reports, the alleged plans involved the use of armed drones and a g*nman targeting the massive crowd gathered for the event. Investigators say the group discussed attaching payloads to drones to trigger panic among attendees, while also considering the use of a sho0ter to fire into the crowd.
Approximately 100,000 people gathered around the Ellipse for the viewing party, with around 4,000 people inside the event perimeter itself.
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the arrests in a social media post, revealing that the alleged plot involved individuals from outside the National Capital Region. Patel stated that the planned attacks were “stopped cold” and confirmed that multiple suspects are now in custody.
Arrests were reportedly carried out across four federal districts, indicating a coordinated, multi-state law enforcement operation.
Authorities first became aware of the alleged threat on Wednesday, June 10, just four days before the event. One of the primary suspects came to investigators’ attention after his parents contacted local police with concerns about his recent weapons purchases and online communications with numerous individuals. That tip reportedly sparked a wider investigation, eventually linking approximately 20 to 23 people to the alleged conspiracy.
Secret Service Director Sean Curran praised the collaborative effort between federal agencies in a statement.
“The U.S. Secret Service works closely with the FBI throughout the investigation,” Curran said. “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.”
Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, who now serves as a CNN senior law enforcement analyst, explained that investigators typically assess potential attackers based on two factors: intent and capability.
“Once you have access to things like the Signal chats we’ve heard about, you know that their intent was very clear here,” McCabe said. “The question that remains is whether they had the capability to carry out an attack along the lines of the one that they allegedly discussed.”
McCabe also highlighted the challenges involved in coordinating arrests across multiple states while preventing a plot from advancing too far.
“You want to collect as much evidence as you can, so you have to let the plot develop to a certain extent, but you cannot let it get out of control,” he said.
Vice President J.D. Vance also addressed the alleged plot during an appearance on Fox News.
“This is very, very dark stuff,” Vance said. “This is what happens when people turn the rhetoric up so loud that disagreeing with somebody is a cause for violence.”
Court documents and formal charges are expected to be unsealed in the coming days.
