Federal agents arrested multiple individuals they believe were planning attacks at the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House, FBI director Kash Patel confirmed on Tuesday, June 16.
“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,” Patel, 46, wrote via X. “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.”
The alleged plots involved using drones and a gunman to attack the UFC event, a law enforcement official told CNN. The Secret Service and FBI uncovered messages between 23 individuals discussing the attacks, Patel revealed.
“While the result represented the best of investigative work, it was also nothing out of the ordinary for this law enforcement team,” Patel continued. “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. 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.”
UFC Freedom 250 played out on Saturday, June 14 on the White House’s South Lawn, featuring a seven-fight card, highlighted by Justin Gaethje’s defeat of Ilia Topuria and heavyweight Ciryl Gane knocking off Alex Pereira.
“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,” Secret Service Director Sean Curran wrote via X.
The FBI did not provide CNN with additional details regarding the nature of the alleged planned attacks.
President Donald Trump, who attended UFC Freedom 250 as a spectator, was asked about the threat on Tuesday at the G7 summit in France, telling reporters, “I haven’t heard about it.”
The event came with its share of political controversy, exacerbated by heavyweight fighter Josh Hokit’s derogatory comment toward former first lady Michelle Obama during a post-fight interview. UFC CEO Dana White later denounced the comment and in a separate statement explained that the night was about celebrating America’s 250th birthday, not politics.
“I love this country,” White, 56, said, per ESPN. “This event was for America’s 250th anniversary. There was no political agenda for this event. They could have had anything. They could have put any kind of performance on.
He added, “I believe If you are an American, no matter where you sit politically, tonight was a proud night to sit around and enjoy the 250th birthday of America. I hope everyone as an American feels that.”
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