According to a June 16 report by Reuters, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and law enforcement agencies across multiple jurisdictions recently foiled an alleged terrorist plot to attack the White House “Freedom 250” UFC celebration event. Federal officials said the suspects had allegedly planned a multi-stage assault involving explosive drones, sniper teams, and attempts to breach the White House’s outer security perimeter. Five people have been arrested, and investigators have identified at least 23 individuals who may have been involved in planning the operation.
Multi-stage attack plan revealed
According to information federal officials provided to Fox News, the suspects initially intended to use drones carrying explosives to strike buildings near the White House, creating chaos and forcing people at the event to evacuate.
Investigators said the attackers then planned to funnel fleeing crowds into areas within range of pre-positioned sniper teams, who would carry out further attacks.
Law enforcement officials also disclosed that the plan included a so-called “second wave” assault, in which participants would attempt to breach the White House’s outer security barriers amid the confusion.
So far, five suspects have been detained, and authorities are continuing efforts to identify and locate other individuals allegedly involved.
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Encrypted chat records become key evidence
The investigation found that those involved primarily used the encrypted messaging application Signal to discuss operational details.
After obtaining access to the chat records, investigators discovered that at least 23 accounts had participated in discussions regarding the attack plan, including specific operational steps, assignments of responsibilities, and target selection.
Some suspects reportedly traveled to Fredericksburg, Virginia, on June 12 and 13 to conduct preparatory activities. The city is about an hour’s drive from downtown Washington, D.C.
According to sources familiar with the investigation, one suspect told investigators that the organization’s targets included what they described as “capitalist elites” and “billionaires.”
Trump and senior officials attended event
The White House Freedom 250 UFC event attracted approximately 4,300 invited guests.
President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and several Cabinet members attended the event.
Business figures present included Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Paramount Global CEO David Ellison, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Also in attendance were House Speaker Mike Johnson, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and FBI Director Kash Patel, among other senior government officials.
According to the Daily Mail, some of the alleged plotters had also identified politicians who had received political donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as potential targets.
FBI and Secret Service conduct multi-state operation
On X, FBI Director Kash Patel said the operation involved at least 12 FBI field offices working alongside the Department of Justice and local law enforcement agencies.
“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,” Patel said.
U.S. Secret Service Director Sean Curran also issued a statement saying the Secret Service worked closely with the FBI throughout the investigation.
“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,” he said.
According to a previous Associated Press report, because the Freedom 250 event was part of the celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of American independence and was attended by President Trump, security measures in Washington were significantly more extensive than those typically used for large public events.
Fox News also reported that strict airspace restrictions and traffic control measures were implemented around the White House during the event.
As of publication, the FBI had not released the identities of all suspects and had not indicated whether additional individuals may have been involved. The investigation remains ongoing.
