The FBI thwarted an alleged terror plot targeting Sunday’s UFC Freedom 250 event on the White House South Lawn, with five suspects already in custody, officials told The Post on Tuesday.
Authorities say the multi-phase attack involved plans to use drones loaded with explosives to strike buildings near the event, triggering panic and driving fleeing spectators toward a sniper team allegedly positioned to pick off victims.
Officials said a “second wave” of attackers then planned to storm the White House gate.
Fox News Digital first reported details of the alleged plot.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the scheme was “stopped cold” on June 10 after investigators executed a search warrant in Cincinnati, where the first arrest was made.
New details contained in a federal arrest affidavit identified California man Michael Alan Thomas as one of the alleged organizers of the plot.
According to the affidavit, Thomas told investigators he believed the U.S. government is controlled by elites who sacrifice and eat children, had involvement with Jeffrey Epstein, and are protected by President Trump.
Officials said some of the suspects traveled to Fredericksburg, Virginia, on June 12 or June 13 to make preparations for the attack.
Investigators examining a suspect’s iPhone found at least 23 users on the encrypted messaging app Signal discussing parameters of what authorities say could have been a devastating terror attack in the heart of the nation’s capital.
Federal agents also captured screenshots of Signal chats in which maps of the UFC event were shared and participants discussed possible sniper positions, according to the affidavit. Authorities also recovered rifles and ammunition during the investigation.
A suspect told investigators the goal of the attack was to target “capitalist elites,” “billionaires” and politicians who received money from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, officials said.
Sources familiar with the investigation told Fox News correspondent David Spunt that all of those in custody are American citizens and that authorities currently do not believe there is any foreign nexus to the alleged plot.
“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,” Patel later wrote on X, praising the coordinated law enforcement effort.
The high-profile combat sports event coincided with President Trump’s 80th birthday and drew roughly 4,300 attendees, including 1,200 active-duty service members.
An estimated 80,000 to 85,000 more fans attended a ticketed watch party on the Ellipse just south of the White House, while thousands more without tickets gathered on the National Mall to catch a glimpse of the seven-fight card on giant screens.
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