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3h ago

FBI Says It Disrupted Plot Targeting UFC Freedom 250 on White House Lawn

A multi-state probe uncovered communications that described using explosive drones plus armed teams to attack the event and nearby grounds.

Tycen Proper, 19, from Knox County, is one of several people in custody, following an alleged terror plot targeting last weekend's UFC event at the White House.
Fireworks explode during UFC Freedom 250, on the South Lawn of the White House, in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 15, 2026.
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 14: UFC Freedom 250 is seen on the South Lawn of the White House on June 14, 2026 in Washington, DC. President Trump is hosting a series of Ultimate Fighting Championship matches on his 80th birthday, which the White House is calling "a once-in-a-generation celebration of the American fighting spirit.” (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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Overview

  • The FBI announced Tuesday that a multi-state operation interrupted planned attacks aimed at the UFC Freedom 250 card on the White House South Lawn on Sunday.
  • Officials say multiple individuals are in custody and investigators have identified roughly two dozen people tied to a broader network, with at least one suspect, 19-year-old Tycen Proper, charged in federal court.
  • Law enforcement recovered Signal messages that helped link suspects across jurisdictions but the FBI has not publicly confirmed every operational detail reported by media outlets, such as explosive-laden drones, pre-positioned snipers, and a planned second wave.
  • The U.S. Secret Service and the Department of Justice worked with the FBI on the probe and said formal specifics will be made public in coming court filings as prosecutions proceed.
  • The disruption adds a security and political dimension to questions about staging a privately financed UFC card on presidential grounds, a controversy that already included lawsuits over federal approvals and public backlash over a fighter’s derogatory post-fight remark.