FBI director’s post on foiled UFC plot may harm probe, law enforcement sources say
Over the course of several days, federal law enforcement quietly made arrests in a foiled plot to attack the UFC fights at the White House, but were keeping a lid on the details because the investigation was still ongoing, according to two law enforcement officials with knowledge of the case who spoke on condition of anonymity.
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Then FBI Director Kash Patel posted details of the arrests online on Tuesday, claiming FBI credit for the investigation with a nod to “law enforcement partners” that helped.
It took some federal law enforcement officials by surprise, in part because authorities were still working to take suspects into custody in the sprawling investigation into more than two dozen people on an encrypted chat, according to three law enforcement officials. Some of the suspectsin the alleged plot spoke offlying drones laden with explosives onto the South Lawn and then shooting at the fleeing attendees, according to law enforcement.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship event was in honor of America’s 250th anniversary and President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.
Law enforcement officials worried that news of the arrests would spook the suspects, the officials said. On Monday, federal prosecutors had asked a judge to seal a case.
One law enforcement official was “shocked” by the public disclosure and worried it could hinder the ongoing probe.
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The official said Patel did “a lot of damage” by treating the work of law enforcement partners as “an afterthought” in the investigation.
The second official said that there was frustration among career FBI agents working the case, because interviews were still being conducted after his public pronouncements.
“There were still people being rounded up on a sealed federal case,” they said of Patel’s announcement. “It’s not great.”
There are a total of 26 usernames under investigation, and 14 had been identified, including the five arrested, two additional law enforcement officials said. Three had been partially identified, while nine usernames had not yet been tied to an individual, they said.
Patel’s announcement has put the director in the spotlight again. Previously, Patel filed a $250 million lawsuit against The Atlantic over a story that focused on concerns about his drinking habits. The lawsuit is ongoing. NBC News reported in February that Trump himself had expressed disappointment with Patel’s actions at the Olympics, when the director was featured on video chugging a beer in the locker room of the men’s hockey team after their gold medal victory.
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