The FBI foils an attack on the White House on Trump’s birthday
Director Patel reveals the investigations that led to the arrest of several people. The attackers had planned to carry out attacks using drones and snipers during the mixed martial arts event held on Sunday
“Several people” have been arrested in connection with an attempted attack on the White House on the day of Donald Trump’s 80th birthday. This was stated by the Director of the FBI, Kash Patel.
The attack was due to take place on the evening of Sunday 14 June during ‘UFC Freedom 250’, the mixed martial arts (MMA) event organised by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to mark the president’s 80th birthday and the 250th anniversary of the United States.
On Sunday, an MMA fighting cage had been set up on the South Lawn of the White House. There were around 4,300 spectators in attendance, whilst almost 83,000 watched remotely. In addition to the Trump family, prominent figures from the US administration were present, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The event was also attended by Polish President Karol Nawrocki, Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, and David Ellison of Paramount Skydance.
The potential threats were identified on 10 June. “Thanks to the swift action of the FBI, its partners and the Department of Justice, during an operation spanning several states, numerous individuals have been arrested and a number of planned attacks have been nipped in the bud,” Patel wrote on X this morning. “We have been working day and night to identify those responsible,” added Sean Curran, Director of the US Secret Service (USSS).
Bloomberg reports that the investigation began after a relative of one of the attackers contacted the federal authorities. The police then traced some chats on Signal in which around twenty users are said to have discussed their preparations for the attack. From what has emerged so far, the plan was to target areas near the event with drones laden with explosives, in order to drive the crowd towards sniper teams already in position. A second wave of attackers would then have stormed the gates of the White House.
