A deadly attack was planned to target President Donald Trump’s White House UFC fight on Sunday, before authorities managed to thwart the scheme, according to the FBI.
The FBI learned of the plot on June 10, just days before Trump and other top officials attended the historic cage match. The bureau has arrested five people accused of planning a drone attack targeting the fight, particularly “capitalist elites,” “billionaires,” and politicians who received money from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC.
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“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,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a post to X.
“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,” he continued. “That’s exactly what we did here.”
At least 12 FBI offices were involved in thwarting the alleged attack, Fox News reported. Authorities arrested the first person on June 10. On one of the suspect’s phones, authorities found at least 23 Signal users involved in discussing parameters of what could have been a devastating terrorist attack.
The alleged plan involved using explosive-laden drones to hit buildings near the event, force a mass evacuation, and then steer crowds toward a pre-staged sniper team, officials told the outlet. A “second wave” was then allegedly planned to storm the White House gate, according to officials.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the FBI for further details, but was referred back to Patel’s post.
Attendees at the landmark fight faced intense security measures in order to access the event, which was attended by the president and Cabinet officials, ranging from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Patel to War Secretary Pete Hegseth and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg was among other high-profile figures at the event.
The Secret Service led security, with support from the United States Park Police and the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia. There were multiple checkpoints around the White House, along with expanded perimeters affecting nearby streets and major corridors. Road closures and traffic restrictions were imposed across parts of downtown, including near the National Mall, making it essentially impossible for members of the public without tickets to view the proceedings.
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The cost of extra policing on streets around the White House alone approached $12 million during the fight, which was funded entirely by UFC CEO Dana White, one of Trump’s close friends. Following the fight, White referenced “security issues” as he praised law enforcement for pulling off a successful event.
“If you look at what we pulled off tonight, I mean, just the security issues that we had, and working with the White House staff, and Secret Service, and everybody was incredible,” White told the press. “When you look at how smoothly everybody got in tonight. I don’t know how it was for you (media) guys, but they did such a great job getting everybody in there, making sure that it was safe. It was very well executed between my staff and the Secret Service. So, I’ve got to thank the White House, obviously the president, and his entire team.”
