FBI foiled explosive drone and sniper plot targeting UFC White House event, Trump says he was unaware

The FBI disrupted an alleged terrorist plot targeting the UFC White House event on June 14, Fox News reported on Tuesday, with five suspects now in custody and investigators identifying 23 people as involved. The event, officially billed as UFC Freedom 250, took place on the South Lawn of the White House and at the nearby Ellipse Park, where nearly 80,000 fans were in attendance alongside President Donald Trump and numerous officials and VIPs.

According to the report, the alleged plot involved explosive-laden drones striking buildings at the event to trigger an emergency evacuation, funnelling crowds toward an area where snipers would open fire. A second wave was then intended to attack the White House gates directly.

The FBI reportedly first identified the threat on June 10 — four days before the event — after alleged suspects gathered for final preparations in Fredericksburg, Virginia. One suspect was taken into custody in Cincinnati, with four more apprehended by Monday.

Secret Service Director Sean Curran confirmed the agency’s involvement in a statement. “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,” Curran said. “Our formal comments regarding the specifics of this case will be made through court filings.”

FBI Director Kash Patel praised his team’s work, framing the outcome as routine for the agency despite the scale of the threat. “While the result represented the best of investigative work, it was also nothing out of the ordinary for this law enforcement team,” Patel said. “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 Freedom 250 fight. That’s exactly what we did here.”

Security had been a prominent concern in the lead-up to the event, which was first announced in June 2025. UFC CEO Dana White and his team faced significant logistical challenges in staging a major fight card at the White House, with weather also causing a delay to the start time on the night.

Trump, speaking at the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, on Tuesday, said he had not been briefed on the foiled plot. “I haven’t heard about it,” the president said. “The attack that I watched were the fighters. … They were as good a fights as I’ve ever seen, the best.”