Federal officials have arrested multiple people who they claim discussed plots to attack the UFC fight night event at the White House, including by using drones and a gunman, a federal law enforcement official told CNN.
A team including the Secret Service and FBI uncovered messages discussing the plot between multiple individuals, according to the official.
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the arrests in a post on X, adding that the effort to stop the “allegedly planned attacks” was a “multi-state operation” and involved actors from outside the Washington, DC, area.
The federal law enforcement source said the group discussed in messages attaching deadly payloads to drones in order to cause mass panic as well as using a gunman to shoot at the crowds. It is currently unclear how far the group was in the planning before law enforcement became aware of the messages.
Charges are expected to be unsealed this morning, another person familiar with the situation told CNN. Arrests were made across four federal districts.
