With an alleged plan to attack the White House during the UFC Freedom 250 event recently coming to light, the US Department of Justice has linked and charged five men with masterminding the thwarted assault attempt. The DOJ also detailed the perpetrators’ supposed plan of attack in its official statement, all the while announcing charges against them.
Major UFC White House attack plot case leads to five charges
On June 16, the DOJ issued charges against five suspects for attempting to carry out an attack on the White House on Sunday in a bid to harm government officials and other attendees of the UFC Freedom 250 event.
The official press release issued by the US Department of Justice revealed that the FBI had been investigating a group of five conspirators, who had reportedly secured several weapons to execute their mini invasion. As such, the FBI made several arrests over the weekend in the regions of Ohio, Missouri, Nebraska, and California.
“The FBI, our law enforcement partners, and our US Attorneys did what they do every day to make America Safe through quick response and vigilance in investigating, disrupting, and dismantling this alleged plan before it could be carried out,” acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in the statement. “We will take immediate and aggressive action to identify and prosecute those who incite and plan acts of violence.”
The release also mentioned that the alleged attackers had planned to execute a “mass casualty event” during the UFC Freedom Event at the White House. The group reportedly schemed to deploy drones armed with explosives in order to force an evacuation. Snipers planted by the charged men would’ve then started firing on “high-value targets” trying to escape the White House premises.
“Protecting the President of the United States and the White House grounds is priority number one for the US Secret Service,” said Sean M Curran, the director of the 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.”
Notably, the UFC Freedom 250 event took place on the White House South Lawn on June 14, to commemorate President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday and the upcoming 250th US Independence Day.
Originally reported by Apoorv Rastogi on Mandatory.
