FBI says it foiled plans to attack White House UFC event, arrests made
Federal officials say a multi-state operation stopped a plot to target a mixed-martial-arts show at the White House, resulting in the arrest of five suspects.
Law enforcement agencies disrupted a scheme to attack a mixed-martial-arts exhibition held on the White House South Lawn over President Donald Trump’s birthday weekend, FBI Director Kash Patel said on Tuesday. The FBI became aware of the threat on June 10, four days before the event, and coordinated with the Department of Justice and other partners to apprehend the suspects. Five individuals from Ohio, Missouri and California were taken into custody, according to an anonymous law-enforcement source.
"Thanks to the rapid action of the 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 wrote on X.
Secret Service Director Sean Curran added that the agency worked "around the clock to identify those responsible and hold them accountable." Details of the alleged plot have not been released, and charges are expected to be unsealed later Tuesday. President Trump, who celebrated his 80th birthday at the UFC event, said he had not been briefed on the matter while speaking at the G7 summit in France.
