The UFC card at the White House on Sunday, coinciding with U.S. President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday, was controversial from the outset.
Added security was always going to be in place, and the card was going to be a political target in an increasingly polarized United States. So perhaps it’s far from surprising that on Tuesday, the FBI revealed that it had foiled a terror plot featuring exploding drones targeting the event.
“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. involving individuals outside of the National Capital Region – and 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 statement issued on Tuesday.
According to a report by FOX News, citing FBI sources, the plot involved drones laden with explosives targeting nearby buildings, designed to spark a panic and drive crowds to pre-positioned sniper teams, who would then open fire on the public. That same report cited two dozen potential suspects involved in the plot, with five arrested so far.
UFC Freedom 250 took place on the South Lawn of the White House on Sunday, June 14 with between four and five thousand spectators under and around “the claw,” a metal structure suspended over the octagon. Tens of thousands more watched the event on screens at The Ellipse a short distance away, with roughly 100,000 in attendance in total. The event featured increased security; over 1000 military service members were also on hand at the show, as well as President Donald J. Trump, who has seen several attempts on his life made prior to and during his second term in office.
A report by CNN noted that law enforcement had recovered messages between conspirators outlining the attack. Arrests were made across multiple jurisdictions, according to that report, with charges expected to be unsealed shortly.
