Trump not briefed on plot to attack White House UFC fight

By Jeff Mordock - The Washington Times - Tuesday, June 16, 2026

President Trump said Tuesday he hadn’t been briefed by the FBI about a plot to attack the Sunday night UFC fight at the White House.

“I haven’t heard about it, no,” Mr. Trump told reporters in Evian-les-Bains, France, where he is attending the meeting of the leaders of the seven largest global economies.

“The attack I watched were the fighters,” he joked.

Earlier Tuesday, FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X that the bureau foiled the potential terror plot.

He wrote that on June 10, the FBI and its law enforcement partners became aware of a potential threat to the UFC fight. He said the plot involved individuals “outside of the National Capital Region.”

“Thanks to the rapid action of this FBI, our partners and the Department of Justice in a multistate operation, multiple individuals are now in custody and allegedly planned attacks were stopped cold,” Mr. Patel wrote.

The FBI director shared a link to a Fox News report that said a group allegedly planned to use drones with explosives to hit buildings near the fight and target the crowds as they fled with sniper fire. Fox News also reported that the alleged perpetrators planned to storm the White House gate.

Mr. Patel did not release any information about the perpetrators or their motives.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and the FBI referred to Mr. Patel’s social media post.

In a statement on X, Secret Service Director Sean Curran said his agency “worked closely” with the FBI throughout this investigation.

“In the days leading up to this weekend, our special agents, mission support personnel and technical security teams worked around the clock to identify those responsible and hold them accountable,” he wrote. “Equally important to our protective mission is ensuring accountability through the justice system.”

Mr. Curran said the Secret Service will make “formal comments” on the plot details in court.

There was an enormous visible law enforcement presence around the White House complex over the weekend. Officials blocked off roads, used fencing to control crowds and deployed hundreds of federal, state and local law enforcement to monitor the thousands of people who attended the event.

The alleged plot is the latest in a string of threats aimed at Mr. Trump.

In April, a suspected gunman opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner with the president in attendance.

The suspect, Cole Thomas Allen, pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to assassinate the president.

In 2024, Mr. Trump faced two assassination attempts. A gunman opened fire during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, killing a Trump supporter. Months later, a man aimed a rifle through the bushes at Mar-a-Lago, where Mr. Trump was playing golf.