FBI Director Kash Patel announced Tuesday that the FBI and law enforcement “became aware” of and foiled a potential threat to the recent UFC America 250 event at the White House.
Patel said the threat involved individuals outside of the Washington, D.C., region and that the bureau, law enforcement and the Department of Justice acted in a multistate operation.
Multiple individuals are now in custody and the alleged plans were “stopped cold,” Patel said.
“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 said online.
Patel said the work remained ongoing and the public would be updated as permitted. He asked the public to report anything suspicious to the FBI.
5 people taken into custody over UFC plot
As first reported by Fox News, five people were in custody as of Monday, and investigators had identified 23 people as part of a potential network of plotters.
The alleged plan involved using explosive-laden drones to hit buildings in Washington near the event and force a mass evacuation. Crowds would then be directed to a pre-staged sniper team, officials told Fox.
A “second wave” was planning to storm the White House gate as well. Investigators found Signal chats on the encrypted messaging platform where multiple people allegedly discussed attacking the UFC event and several detailed plans to travel to Fredericksburg, Virginia, to prepare in the days leading up to the event.
Secret Service said it worked closely with the FBI throughout the investigation and would be making further formal comment through court filings to hold the individuals accountable.
According to a criminal compliant against one of the alleged plotters, the mother of the defendant, 19-year-old Tycen Proper, called local police on June 10 because she was concerned about her son and recent actions like buying guns and communicating with radical groups online. She also observed her son looking at maps of Washington near the White House and the group was looking at “hit and run missions.”
Additionally, Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, from Omaha, Nebraska, was charged and described as the primary person involved in the plan, including positions of where snipers would be placed, building of the explosive drones and escape plans, Nebraska Public Media reported.
The planned attack was targeting the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House on Sunday. The event took place on the South Lawn, which also marked President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday. There were thousands in attendance, as well as many members of law enforcement and the military, and the evening included flyovers and fireworks late into the night.
Trump had joked about keeping the massive claw over the fighting area as a permanent installment at the White House, but it was confirmed it will be dismantled in the coming days.
While at the Group of Seven meeting in France, Trump was asked about the news of the attack. He said he hadn’t been briefed on the attack and the FBI’s efforts, and he jokingly said, “The attack I watched were the fighters.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump and the entire administration were thankful for the FBI, Secret Service and law enforcement.
“Thanks to their efforts, UFC Freedom 250 will be remembered as one of the greatest sporting events in history,” she said online.
Vice President JD Vance appeared on “Fox & Friends” early Tuesday, where he praised law enforcement and how the event went off without anyone being harmed.
“I thank God this attack was apparently thwarted or never got to the point where it’s carried out. I mean, the event was so amazing, the sense of patriotism, the pride that everybody felt. It was a very fun evening,” Vance said. “So, this could have been a terrible tragedy, but it goes to show why we have so much appreciation for the guys that keep us safe and for federal law enforcement because these are the types of attacks that they’re preventing every single day.”
Vance went on to call on Democratic leaders in Washington to turn down what he called violent partisan rhetoric, saying that because everyone is disagreeing, it becomes a “cause for violence.”
“I hate to say this, but it’s true. You see more political violence and violent rhetoric coming from the left than the right these days. Everybody has a role to cut this stuff out,” he said.
Dan Bongino, the former co-deputy director at the FBI, also called in to “Fox & Friends” and highlighted the concern of evolving technology and its role in violence. He noted there’s not just a “future threat” of drones, but the “now threat” of them used both in foreign and domestic situations.
