Featured Image Credit: Chris Unger / Contributor via Getty
Just days after President Donald Trump hosted the UFC Freedom 250 celebrations at the White House, the FBI has issued an update to reveal it thwarted a planned attack.
The event took place on Sunday (June 14), with the UFC Octagon erected on the South Lawn of the White House, where 4,000 invited guests attended.
A much larger audience watched on from The Ellipse, which is the public park situated just outside the White House complex.
Officials classified Freedom 250 as a high-level security event, placing it in the same category as major American gatherings such as the Super Bowl, the Indianapolis 500 and the Kentucky Derby.
It seems that this was a proactive decision as the FBI have now released a statement to share that the agency stopped a planned explosive drone attack.
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In the update, the FBI announced that five men have been arrested and charged with plotting to kill government officials attending the UFC event.
FBI director Kash Patel said: “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.
“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. That’s exactly what we did here. I want to thank our great agents and partners, this work remains ongoing and we will continue to update the public as permitted.”
Director Sean M Curran of the US Secret Service added: “Protecting the President of the United States and the White House grounds is priority number one for the US Secret Service.
“The landscape has changed, and as a result we have seen a dramatic rise in threats against our protectees. I am proud of the men and women of the Secret Service that vigorously monitor, investigate, and arrest those that plot to interfere with our protective mission.”
This news comes just days after it was revealed that the FBI had deployed an advanced drone shield over the White House.
Flying private drones in the airspace above the US capital is already heavily restricted, but authorities warned visitors not to bring them to the event.
To maintain surveillance and situational awareness, law enforcement agencies also deployed their own drones throughout the weekend.
At the same time, specialized technology monitored the skies for any unauthorized aircraft that could pose a security risk.
