A plot to harm people at the UFC fight on the White House lawn on Sunday was stopped by law enforcement, FBI Director Kash Patel announced on Tuesday morning.
The alleged plot would have led to drones creating explosions on buildings in the area, and then criminal snipers would strike attendees trying to evacuate, according to Fox News. Then a group of criminals would try to make their way onto White House grounds amid the chaos, according to the outlet.
“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 posted on X.
Fox News reported that five individuals were already arrested as of Monday, but 23 people in total were found to be allegedly part of the planning.
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
Some of the alleged attempted attackers used signal to communicate, and a suspect noted that one of the motives included harming AIPAC donors, a pro-Israel group, as well as “capitalist elites,” the outlet reported.
“While the result represented the best of investigative work, it was also nothing out of the ordinary for this law enforcement team – 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,” Patel added, encouraging people to send in tips.
“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,” he added.
U.S. Secret Service Director Sean Curran said in a statement that the "most important responsibility is safeguarding the President and every person under Secret Service protection."
"The U.S. Secret Service worked closely with the FBI throughout this 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. 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," Curran stated.