FBI Director Kash Patel (seen here at the UFC 250 event) said that officials first learned of the alleged planned attack on June 10th [Kent Nishimura/AFP]By Al Jazeera Staff, AP and ReutersPublished On 16 Jun 202616 Jun 2026
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) says it thwarted “planned attacks” that targeted the UFC event at the White House on Sunday and that multiple people are in custody.
On Tuesday, FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency first learned about the threat on June 10 — days before the mixed martial arts event on the White House South Lawn celebrating US President Donald Trump’s birthday and marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
“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,” Patel said in a post on X.
While the agency did not disclose the nature of the threat, Fox News Digital reported that the alleged plot involved using explosive-laden drones to hit buildings near the event, in a post that Patel linked to on X.
Twenty-three people were involved with the alleged plot, according to a report that also claimed the would-be attackers planned a “second wave” intended to storm the White House gates during the event.
The Fox News report claimed that an unspecified number of plotters planned to travel to Virginia on June 12–13 in preparation for the attack, according to Signal chats federal law enforcement officials obtained.
Five people were arrested from states including Ohio, Missouri and California, according to The Associated Press, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.
The Secret Service “worked around the clock to identify those responsible and hold them accountable,” Director Sean Curran said in a separate statement.
Vice President JD Vance said authorities were trying to look at the underground networks that would drive such violence.
“Twenty-three people do not get to the point where they’re going to commit a mass terror incident in Washington, DC without some serious funding, without some serious coordination,” Vance said in a Fox News interview.
“That’s not a few guys doing crazy stuff, that is a coordinated, planned terrorist plot,” he told Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” programme.
President Trump, at the Group of Seven summit in Evian, France, said he had not been aware of the planned attack.
