The FBI under the Trump administrationdismantled a terrorist plot involving dozens of suspects who planned to attack the UFC event held on Sunday at the White House using snipers and drones loaded with explosives.
At least five people were arrested, as reported exclusively by Fox News, while authorities work to identify and capture another 18 suspects involved in the planning of the attack who were communicating with the detainees through encrypted chats.
The FBI director, Kash Patel, confirmed the arrests and stated in a press release: "On June 10, the FBI and our law enforcement partners became aware of a potential threat to the UFC America 250 event in Washington, D.C., involving individuals from outside the National Capital Region; and thanks to the swift action of this FBI, our partners, and the Department of Justice in a multi-state operation, multiple individuals are now in custody and the planned attacks were presumably thwarted."
"While the outcome represented the best of investigative work, it was also something routine for this law enforcement team: we are prepared to detect, respond, and bring to justice those who threaten the lives of American citizens, particularly during large events like the historic UFC 250 fight," Patel added.
UFC 250 at the White House was a historic event that took place this Sunday
An antisemitic plot
The plot's target was believed to be to attack the south lawn of the White House with one or more drones loaded with explosives, causing panic and driving the crowd towards areas where snipers would begin shooting at them.
The perpetrators of this plan will appear before a judge in the coming days for the reading of the charges against them. The initial analysis of one of the conspirator's phones identified at least 23 Signal users discussing activities related to the case, where they stated that the target was to attack "capitalist elites," "billionaires," or politicians receiving donations from the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
One of the five detainees, 19-year-old Tycen Proper, told his accomplices on May 13 that one of the targets should be pro-Trump Senator Marsha Blackburn from Tennessee as she had "received money from the pro-Israel lobby" and supported Israel.
The antisemitic criminal plan also included targeting four other Republican politicians for the same reason, namely Senators Jim Justice and Shelley Moore and Representatives Carol Miller and Riley Moore. During the investigation, police spoke with Proper's family, who expressed concern because the young man had posted antisemitic comments on social media and statements supporting Adolf Hitler.
