FBI foils alleged multi-stage plot against White House UFC event

The FBI says it disrupted a multi-stage terror plan targeting a UFC event held Sunday on the South Lawn of the White House. Five suspects were arrested in an operation spanning several U.S. states, according to a report Tuesday in the New York Post citing sources who spoke to Fox News.

The alleged plan called for drones packed with explosives to strike structures around the event. The blasts were intended to spread panic and drive thousands of attendees toward an area where a sniper team was reportedly waiting. In a second phase, another group of attackers was expected to rush one of the White House gates while security forces were distracted by the chaos.

The FBI said it first learned of the plot on June 10, four days before the event, and carried out a search warrant in Cincinnati, Ohio, where the first suspect was arrested. Other suspects were reportedly in Fredericksburg, Virginia, preparing the attack. Investigators say the breakthrough came after agents examined one suspect’s iPhone and found encrypted Signal chats involving at least 23 users discussing the plan.

One suspect told investigators the targets were “capitalist elites,” billionaires, and politicians receiving donations from people linked to AIPAC. FBI Director Kash Patel said rapid action by the bureau, the Justice Department, and other law enforcement agencies led to several arrests and stopped the planned attacks. The report did not name the detainees or identify the group they were allegedly tied to. About 4,300 people attended the UFC event, including roughly 1,200 active-duty soldiers, and it was held on President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.