An alleged explosive drone terror attack destined for Sunday’s UFC Freedom 250 event on the White House South Lawn was thwarted by the FBI and five suspects are now custody, it was revealed Tuesday.
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the foiled plan after Fox News first broke the news.
The multi-phase attack allegedly involved using explosive-laden drone aircraft to strike buildings in the vicinity of the event, sparking mass panic and driving the fleeing crowd toward a sniper team poised to pick them off, officials told Fox News.
A “second wave” of attackers then allegedly planned to storm the White House gate, officials said. Fox News further detailed:
The FBI first learned of the threat on June 10 and worked with partners to secure probable cause for an arrest in Cincinnati, where one suspect was taken into custody.
Investigators later uncovered Signal chats in which multiple people allegedly discussed attacking the UFC event. An initial review of one suspect’s iPhone identified at least 23 Signal users discussing pre-operational activity, officials said.
Some of those involved allegedly planned to travel to Fredericksburg, Virginia, on June 12 or 13 to prepare for the attack.
The report further reveals possible motives for the alleged terror assault, with one suspect allegedly told investigators the goal was to target “capitalist elites,” “billionaires” or politicians who received donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
The investigation stretched across at least 12 FBI field offices.
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the arrests in a statement obtained and released by Just the News.
RELATED: Happy Birthday, Mr. President! UFC Champ Josh Hokit Gifts Trump Gold Chain After Sealing Win at UFC Freedom 250 event
“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.
“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,” he added.
More to come…