Other MoA event in Washington, D.C. area, United States of America on Wed 10th June 2026

The FBI said Tuesday it thwarted potential "attacks" against the UFC mixed martial arts (MMA) fighting event held Sunday at the White House to celebrate US President Donald Trump's 80th birthday, and that it has arrested several suspects.

"On June 10, the FBI and our law enforcement partners became aware of a potential threat to the UFC 250 event in Washington, D.C., involving individuals from outside the nation's capital region," FBI Director Kash Patel wrote in X.

Patel said the operation spanned several states and that "several people are now in custody and the attacks they allegedly planned were immediately thwarted," though he did not offer specific details about the suspects' plans.

"We are prepared to detect and respond to those who threaten the lives of American citizens and bring them to justice—especially during large gatherings like the historic UFC 250 fight," the FBI director concluded.

In April, the presidential Secret Service thwarted an individual's attempt to assassinate Trump and other members of his Cabinet during the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) annual dinner at a Washington hotel.

During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump was also the target of two assassination attempts.

For his 80th birthday last Sunday, the US president celebrated an evening of MMA fights that involved the construction of a large octagonal ring with a large grandstand in the gardens of the White House and included fireworks or the flyover of fighter jets over the center of Washington.