FBI says it stopped ‘planned attacks’ on UFC White House event
According to the FBI, the UFC’s Freedom 250 event was the target of “planned attacks” that were stopped in the days leading into the event.
FBI Director Kash Patel sent out a statement on Tuesday saying that, on June 10, the bureau became aware of a plot that was being planned by individuals from multiple states outside of the Washington, D.C. region. The plot was “stopped cold,” with the Associated Press reporting that five people have been arrested. Those individuals are from states including Ohio, Missouri, and California.
“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 wrote.
“While the result represented the best of investigative work, it was also nothing out of the ordinary for this law enforcement team – 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.”
ABC News reports that the plot “included explosive drones that were to target buildings in the area of the event.”
Freedom 250 was held on the South Lawn of the White House on Sunday (June 14), with the show existing as part of the summer-long celebrations for the United States’ 250th birthday. The event also took place on the 80th birthday of President Donald Trump, who said today that he had not been briefed on the foiled attack plot. He described Sunday as being a “great evening.”
“I haven’t heard about it, no,” Trump said. “The attack that I watched were the fighters… they were as good of fights as I’ve ever seen.”
With WWE and UFC having the same parent company, Nick Khan, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, and World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns were among those in attendance at the White House on Sunday.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.