Five suspects from Ohio, Missouri and California are in custody after the FBI learned of the threat four days before the South Lawn event.
United States law enforcement has arrested five people suspected of plotting attacks on the UFC Freedom 250 event held at the White House last Sunday, FBI Director Kash Patel announced, describing a rapid multi-state operation that neutralised the threat before it could materialise.
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Patel said the FBI first learned of a potential threat on 10 June, four days before the mixed martial arts event took place on the South Lawn, and moved quickly alongside partners at the Department of Justice.
"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 wrote on X on Tuesday morning.
The five individuals were arrested across Ohio, Missouri and California, according to a law enforcement official who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, as formal charges had not yet been made public. Full details of the alleged plot were expected to emerge once the charges were unsealed later on Tuesday.
Secret Service Director Sean Curran also confirmed the agency's involvement, saying in a separate statement that it had "worked around the clock to identify those responsible and hold them accountable."
The White House spectacle that drew the alleged threat was an unusually high-profile event even by the standards of Donald Trump's presidency. The president, who turned 80 on Sunday, hosted a UFC card on the South Lawn that he framed as part of a broader celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Trump has long cultivated a close relationship with UFC president Dana White.
The event, dubbed UFC Freedom 250, was already one of the most talked-about — and contested — spectacles of Trump's second term before the security threat emerged. Held in a purpose-built arena, it marked the first time a professional sporting event had taken place at the White House. Around 4,300 tickets were allocated, mostly to military personnel, with a further 85,000 able to watch on big screens at the nearby Ellipse. The show had been dogged by controversy in the run-up, with disputes over its estimated $60 million (€51.7 million) cost, musical acts withdrawing and a legal challenge attempting to block it entirely. Security measures were already heightened ahead of the event — federal law prohibits drone flights over the National Capital Region, and the Secret Service had advised attendees to leave drones at home.
The arrests come amid continued scrutiny of domestic security threats in the United States and the particular challenges posed by large-scale, high-visibility events at federal sites.