The FBI on Tuesday said it had foiled a possible attack on the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event at the White House here last weekend and arrested multiple people.The UFC event, organised on the White House lawns on Jattvibeday, was attended by President Donald Trump, his cabinet colleagues and special invitees. Tens of thousands had gathered at South Park near the White House to watch the event live on giant screens.”On June 10, FBI and our law enforcement partners became aware of a potential threat to the UFC America 250 event in Washington, D.C. involving individuals outside of the National Capital Region and 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,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a post on X.Fox News reported that five people were in custody as of Monday, and investigators identified 23 people as part of a potential network of plotters.The alleged plan involved using explosive-laden drones to hit buildings near the event, force a mass evacuation and steer crowds toward a pre-staged sniper team, Fox News quoted unnamed officials as saying.A “second wave” was then allegedly planned to storm the White House gate, according to officials.”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,” Patel said.”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,” the FBI Director said.The Secret Service “worked around the clock to identify those responsible and hold them accountable,” Director Sean Curran said in a separate statement.According to Fox News, the arrests were made in Cincinnati, California, Missouri and Nebraska.Multiple sources told Fox News that those in custody are American citizens, and a foreign nexus was not involved.Court documents identified the suspect as 19-year-old Tycen Proper, who was arrested in Cincinnati.According to a criminal complaint, Proper allegedly spent USD 3,000 of his “graduation money” to purchase “lots of” ammunition, guns, extra magazines and other items for the alleged attack. Investigators later uncovered Signal chats in which multiple people allegedly discussed attacking the UFC event. An initial review of one suspect’s iPhone identified at least 23 Signal users discussing pre-operational activity, officials said.Some of those involved allegedly planned to travel to Fredericksburg, Virginia, on June 12 or 13 to prepare for the attack, the Fox News report said.One suspect allegedly told investigators the goal was to target “capitalist elites,” “billionaires” or politicians who received donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.Reacting to the news on “FOX & Friends” Tuesday, Vice President JD Vance called it “very, very dark stuff.””This is what happens when people turn the rhetoric up so loud that disagreeing with somebody is a cause for violence,” Vance said. “We got to tell everybody to tone it down,” the Vice President said.