Multiple people are in custody after the FBI disrupted an alleged threat against President Trump's White House UFC event, FBI Director Kash Patel said Tuesday.
The big picture: There have been several attempts on Trump's life, including a recent shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, as law enforcement reckons with a period of elevated political violence.
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Driving the news: Federal officials and law enforcement partners learned of a potential threat from people outside the Washington, D.C., area on June 10, Patel said on X.
- He said that "thanks to the rapid action of this 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."
The latest: An affidavit filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio alleged that 19-year-old Tycen Proper admitted to planning a coordinated attack during the event.
- Members of the group allegedly planned to leave their homes and travel to Fredericksburg, Virginia, which is roughly 50 miles outside the district, per the criminal complaint.
- An FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force officer alleged in the complaint that Proper told agents the group planned to fly small, explosive-laden drones to detonate over the arena, forcing an evacuation toward staged snipers.
- The attack was designed to "jumpstart" a revolution, Proper allegedly said.
- Proper allegedly named Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) as a "possible target," and sent photos of Sen. Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Rep. Carol Miller (R-W.Va.) and Rep. Riley Moore (R-W.Va.) that "appear to have been taken from the website "TrackAIPAC.com," per the complaint, and appear to include information about how much money they received "from pro-Israel PACS."
Catch up quick: The president, along with members of his administration and family, attended the rowdy spectacle on White House grounds Sunday that coincided with his 80th birthday.
- Secret Service Director Sean Curran said in a statement that his agency worked closely with the FBI throughout the investigation
- Five people are in custody, according to Fox News, which was first to report on the alleged plot.
Between the lines: The UFC Freedom 250 event is one of several mass gatherings planned around the nation's 250th anniversary, including a July 4th celebration that the president has pitched as "the most spectacular TRUMP RALLY of them all."
- D.C. security is ramping up accordingly, Axios D.C.'s Cuneyt Dil reported. Secret Service is taking the lead on the Fourth of July, designating it a National Special Security Event, a label usually reserved for occasions like a presidential inauguration.
Editor's note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated.



