A planned coordinated attack targeting a high-profile Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event hosted on the White House South Lawn has been disrupted by federal law enforcement, FBI Director Kash Patel has confirmed. The foiled plot coincided with a landmark weekend that marked both the 250th anniversary of the United States and former president Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.
In a Tuesday morning social media post, Patel announced that multiple suspects had been taken into custody as part of a sweeping multi-state law enforcement operation. The FBI director confirmed that the planned attack had been stopped before it could be carried out, writing, “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.”
Unconfirmed details of the plot, first reported by Fox News and shared via Patel’s post, outline a coordinated two-stage attack plan, according to two anonymous sources who spoke to CBS News, the BBC’s partner for U.S. domestic coverage. The plotters allegedly planned to deploy explosive-laden drones to strike adjacent buildings, with the goal of triggering mass panic and forcing event attendees to flee toward a hidden sniper team positioned along the escape route. After the chaos of the first strike, a second wave of attackers intended to storm the main entrance gate to the White House, the sources claimed.
Investigators made their first arrest in the plot last week in Cincinnati, CBS reported. Law enforcement officials were also able to secure access to encrypted Signal messaging conversations where multiple co-conspirators allegedly discussed the logistics of the attack in detail.
Patel’s public statement did not explicitly confirm the specific tactical details of the plot reported by CBS and Fox News, though he directly shared a link to the Fox News report containing these details in his post. The FBI has not released further public information on the case, and the BBC has formally requested additional comment from the agency to clarify outstanding details of the investigation.
Secret Service Director Sean Curran confirmed in an official statement that the United States Secret Service has worked in close coordination with the FBI throughout the entire investigation. Curran added that formal public comments on the specific details of the case will be released as part of official court filings in the coming weeks.
The targeted UFC event was held Sunday on the White House South Lawn as a centerpiece of national celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence. The gathering also overlapped with Trump’s 80th birthday, and was attended by multiple senior figures from the Trump administration as well as a number of high-profile celebrities.