Drones are increasingly becoming greater threats to domestic security, not only as they grow more widespread in warfare, but as their capacity for domestic terrorism and crime becomes ever clearer.
Former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino warned Wednesday that drones are rapidly evolving into a critical domestic security threat, urging security agencies to adapt their defenses to counter the emerging danger. His comments followed the FBI's Tuesday announcement that it had foiled a terror plot using explosive drones aimed at the UFC Freedom 250 event on Sunday.
After the foiled UFC White House attack, former FBI Deputy Director @dbongino says America's biggest security threats may no longer be coming from the ground.
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 17, 2026
Bongino warns that drones loaded with explosives can bypass many of the barriers and defenses built to stop vehicle… pic.twitter.com/9UIxydT1yM
"This has really been a problem. That's been a tip of the spear in my mind for a long time," Bongino said.
"Lawrence, it was really no good plan for drones at all. It was kind of like, oh, we'll get to it when we'll get to it plan. Well, that's not good enough. And, you know, the audience needs to keep in mind the reason the drone problem is so difficult to solve is think about it."
"If you were to put an explosive on a drone, which is what the subjects in this case, the suspects,were thinking about doing, and I'm sure others are as well. If you were to put that same explosive in a car, a car's four wheels, how it gets there, it doesn't really matter. Like there's there's old school ways to stop that. You have obstacles, vehicle obstacles. You know, you have planters. You have all this kind of stuff we've developed since four wheels have been rolling down the road in the assembly line with Henry Ford," Bongino said. "None of that stuff works with a drone. You can't put an obstacle that goes up into low space that's going to stop a flying object from flying into Times Square or New York City or elsewhere."
This comes after a terror plot was foiled just days before the UFC Freedom 250 fight on Sunday at the White House. The plot involved over a dozen people across the country who planned to fly explosive drones into buildings surrounding the event to sow chaos, then have strategically positioned snipers shoot at fleeing attendees. Authorities say the plot was uncovered only after one terrorist's mother grew concerned about her son's suspicious behavior and reported it to authorities.
Michael Thomas, one of the alleged terrorists and the self-described mastermind, revealed to authorities that the group believed the U.S. government is run by a secret cadre of elites who sacrifice and consume children, are deeply tied to Jeffrey Epstein, and are all protected by President Trump. The group also linked the government's corruption to Israel and the Jewish people, with one of the terrorists expressing admiration and sympathy for Adolf Hitler.