https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/white-house-ufc-attack-plot-foiled-after-parent-told-police/ar-AA25Nhna
Brand-new information in the White House UFC bombing plot revealed that a parent of one of the 12 suspects across the U.S. foiled the plan to attack the event's attendees.
Sources close to the investigation told the New York Post that the FBI managed to foil the plot by infiltrating the Signal group chat after a parent of one of the kids informed police about the impending attack. According to the new report, the suspects were in four states: California, Ohio, Missouri, and Nebraska.
Federal agents reported that the group, which they claimed followed an “accelerationist” ideology, plotted to gather in Fredericksburg, Virginia, to launch an explosive drone attack against the White House. According to authorities, the attack was part of the group's hope to topple capitalism.
The fight, which took place at the White House and was attended by President Donald Trump and several high-ranking members of his administration, was the target of what authorities are calling a multi-phase terror attack. According to officials, the attack would have seen the use of drones laden with explosives that would have been programmed to strike buildings in the vicinity of the fight.
According to authorities, the panic and fear caused by the attack would have then driven the fleeing crowd right into the crosshairs of a sniper team waiting to pick them off, Fox Digital reported. Officials then said that a "second wave" of attackers would have forced their way to the White House gates.
Various sources reported that the bureau had learned of the plot on June 10 and executed a search warrant in Cincinnati, which concluded in the first arrest. During a search of one of the suspects' iPhones, authorities discovered at least 23 users of the encrypted chat app Signal who were involved in discussing parameters of what could have been a devastating attack at the heart of the U.S.
"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 statement. "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."
One of the suspects, none have been identified, said that the plan was to target “capitalist elites,” “billionaires,” and politicians who received money from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)
The high-profile event also coincided with President Trump's 80th birthday and was attended by around 4,300 people, including 1,200 active-duty service members. It was reported that 12 agents were involved in the thwarting.
In addition, the Secret Service also issued a statement about the attack. "Our most important responsibility is safeguarding the president and every person under Secret Service protection," the statement issued by Sean Curran said. "
The U.S. Secret Service worked closely with the FBI throughout this investigation," it added. "In the days leading up to this weekend, our special agents, mission support personnel, and technical security teams worked around the clock to identify those responsible and hold them accountable."
"Equally important to our protective mission is ensuring accountability through the justice system," Curran continued. "To that end, our formal comments regarding the specifics of this case will be made through court filing."