The Alleged UFC 250 Threat: Snipers, Drones, and a White House Target
Tennessee Today

Credit: Sports Business Journal 

On June 14th, the White House hosted the UFC Freedom 250 event. The celebration went off successfully; however, the night almost took a different turn. 

On that Sunday, the White House South Lawn became one of the most unusual sporting venues the world has ever seen. What no one in the crowd knew was that there had been a terror plot targeting the event, which had been thwarted just a few days prior. 

The FBI reported that on the Tuesday leading up to the fight, they disrupted the planned attack, which court records say involved small drones carrying explosives targeting senior government officials and other wealthy individuals attending the event. 

Five men have been charged after allegedly spending weeks planning the attack via online messaging. The attack was planned to take place in two phases. First, drones were to drop explosives into the crowd to cause panic and mass evacuation, with snipers ready to aim as people fled the scene. Second, an additional group of assailants was prepared to rush the White House gates with specific targets in mind. 

Court records cited those specific names, including President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Elon Musk, along with several other important government officials, including Senator Marsha Blackburn from Tennessee and Senator Tom Cotton from Arkansas.

If convicted, the accused could face life in prison and up to a $250,000 in fines, with five more years for planning to commit violence on White House grounds.