By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- FBI Director Kash Patel announced Tuesday, June 16, 2026, that law enforcement disrupted planned attacks targeting a UFC mixed martial arts event held on the White House South Lawn on Sunday, June 14, in connection with President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.
- Five people were arrested in connection with the plot, with arrests made in states including Ohio, Missouri, and California, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation.
- The FBI first learned of the potential threat June 10, four days before the event, and worked with the Department of Justice and other partner agencies in a multi-state operation to make arrests before the event occurred.
- The specific nature of the planned attacks had not been publicly disclosed as of Tuesday morning; officials indicated additional details were expected once associated charges were unsealed later that day.
- U.S. Secret Service Director Sean Curran said his agency worked continuously to identify those responsible; President Trump told reporters in France, where he was attending the G7 summit, that he had not yet been briefed on the thwarted plot.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Federal law enforcement officials disrupted planned attacks targeting a UFC cage-fighting event staged on the White House South Lawn this past weekend in connection with President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday, and multiple individuals were taken into custody, FBI Director Kash Patel said Tuesday.
The specific nature of the threat had not been disclosed publicly as of Tuesday morning, with additional information expected once associated charges were unsealed later in the day. A law enforcement official familiar with the matter, speaking to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the information was not yet public, said five people were arrested in connection with the plot, with arrests occurring in Ohio, Missouri, and California.
According to Patel, the FBI first became aware of the potential threat June 10, four days ahead of the mixed martial arts event. “Thanks to the rapid action of the 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 wrote in a social media post Tuesday morning. U.S. Secret Service Director Sean Curran said in a separate statement that his agency “worked around the clock to identify those responsible and hold them accountable.”
The UFC event took place Sunday on the White House South Lawn as part of celebrations tied to both Trump’s 80th birthday and the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Speaking to reporters Tuesday in Évian-les-Bains, France, where he was attending the Group of Seven summit, Trump said he had not yet been briefed on the thwarted plot. The investigation remains ongoing, and further details are expected to become available as related charges are unsealed.