Kash Patel may have jumped the gun by revealing the alleged ploy to attack UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday, June 14, at the White House. The event celebrated America’s 250th anniversary by hosting seven UFC bouts on White House’s South Lawn. And now, the Secret Service is scrutinizing the FBI Director for his actions. 

“It was an active plot, and it’s ongoing,” Deputy Secret Service Director Matthew Quinn said. “There are still suspects at large, and we’re going to work it until everyone’s been identified.”

As Quinn pointed out, despite the open investigation, Patel announced the ploy on X on June 16, revealing the threat to the event, and was quick to claim credit for foiling it. In fact, according to USA Today, before Patel’s announcement, the Secret Service and other authorities were looking into ten more individuals for questioning, including those already charged. 

Interestingly, Quinn was asked about Patel’s X post at an unrelated news press conference on Tuesday, June 16. Although Quinn didn’t name Patel or his agency in his statement, he expressed frustration over the details becoming public knowledge before they wanted them to be. He added that the Secret Service is the lead agency investigating the attack plot.

“I’ll tell you a phrase I learned early in my career in the New York field office, and that’s ‘Don’t choke on your own smoke,'” Quinn told reporters. “Anyone [who] believes that case was worked in a bubble [by the FBI] is naive. I’ll tell you, the Secret Service led that investigation from the beginning.”

USA Today also reported that federal law enforcement officials who spoke to them claimed the case was intentionally filed under seal. This would have prevented details from leaking out and alerting potential suspects. If you didn’t know, at least five individuals have been charged for an alleged plot to attack UFC Freedom 250 on June 14 at the White House. 

The five individuals include Tycen Proper, Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, Bryan Omar Roa, Michael Alan Thomas, and Daniel K. Eskridge. This list of suspects lived in separate states, including Missouri, Ohio, and California. The ploy was initially exposed when a relative of 19-year-old Tycen Proper contacted the local police in Ohio. 

FBI and other authorities quickly looked into it. They found a group planning the attack, with key suspects including Proper and others like Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez. The alleged plan involved using explosive drones to hit buildings near the event. This would cause panic and force a mass evacuation of the crowd, including politicians, officials, and high-value targets.

The next phase of the plan involved snipers, who would then shoot at people fleeing toward certain areas. Then the plan involved a second wave, trying to storm the White House gates. According to reports, the suspects had anti-government, fringe conspiracy views involving Epstein, Israel, etc., and wanted to start a revolution.

Days before the UFC Freedom 250 card, the authorities made the arrests and seized weapons, ammo, and gear. This led to an uninterrupted event on June 14 and eventually to Patel’s premature announcement. But this is nothing new for the FBI Director. 

Kash Patel has a history of leaks

People aware of Patel’s activity on X know this isn’t the first time the FBI Director has done something like this. He has previously been criticized for making announcements that were deemed improper for revealing confidential investigative information that set back ongoing probes. 

His 2 million X followers hear more from him about ongoing FBI investigations than any previous director. Previously, Patel prematurely claimed an individual was arrested for the assassination of Charlie Kirk in September 2025. However, the individual was released hours later.

On the UFC’s part, UFC CEO Dana White claimed he was kept in the loop about the alleged ploy to attack their event at the White House. However, he has also previously added that the event was a one-off spectacle that will never happen again. But Patel’s premature announcement adds to the growing pushback against his role as the FBI Director. 

At the end of the day, despite Patel’s announcement, the investigation into the ploy is still ongoing. A better picture of everyone involved in the matter is expected to come to light in the coming days, weeks, and months.