On Sunday, June 14, the UFC Freedom 250 fight at the White House went off without a hitch.
The day also marked the 80th birthday of President Donald Trump, who was in attendance with many members of his cabinet.
However, on June 16, FBI Dir. Kash Patel revealed that the event could’ve gone quite differently, with a plot to attack the fight night on the South Lawn being discovered days before it was scheduled to occur.
About The Plot Against UFC Freedom 250
“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.,” wrote Patel on X, formerly Twitter, noting the individuals were located outside of the National Capital Region.
Continuing, he noted that the FBI, with the Department of Justice, took “rapid action” to conduct a multi-state operation.
Now, multiple individuals are in custody for allegedly planning attacks, which Patel says were “stopped cold.”
According to Fox News Digital, “The alleged plan involved using explosive-laden drones to hit buildings near the event, force a mass evacuation and steer crowds toward a pre-staged sniper team, officials said.”
From there, Fox News Digital reports that a “second wave” was planned which would see alleged would-be attackers storm the gates of the White House, according to officials.
In total, 23 individuals are suspected to have been involved in the plot, which was being coordinated over a Signal chat, with Fox News Digital reporting that five were in custody as of Monday, June 15.
Fox News Digital notes that one individual was arrested with probable cause on June 10 from Cincinnati, Ohio. Further, other individuals allegedly involved with the plot were arranging to meet in Fredericksburg, Virginia, on June 12 and June 13 to coordinate their plan.
Of the operation, Patel added:
“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.”
Kash added, “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.”
In total, 12 FBI Field Offices were involved in this investigation.
The Secret Service was also “closely involved,” as reported by Fox News Digital.
Secret Service Dir. Sean Curran released a statement on X, which can be seen, here:
Protective intelligence cases are on the rise, and our teams work tirelessly behind the scenes to investigate threats, identify those responsible and ensure accountability.
Statement from Director Curran on the events of this past weekend: pic.twitter.com/voVpbJSfCW
— U.S. Secret Service (@SecretService) June 16, 2026
This plot follows several other high-profile plots against Trump and his administration, with the most recent being at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 25.
