FBI Director Kash Patel posted details of an alleged UFC plot to social media on June 16, frustrating federal law enforcement officials who were still working to arrest suspects in the sprawling investigation.
Patel announced on X at 6:50 a.m. ET that “multiple individuals” were in custody after law enforcement disrupted a threat to the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House on June 14, which was attended by President Trump and Cabinet officials including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The problem, according to law enforcement sources, was timing. Authorities had kept the investigation sealed in federal court and were still pursuing at least 10 additional suspects when Patel’s announcement made the case headline news, according to a federal law enforcement official who spoke to USA Today on condition of anonymity.
One law enforcement official told NBC News they were “shocked” by the public disclosure. Another said Patel did “a lot of damage” by treating the work of law enforcement partners as “an afterthought” in the investigation. A third official, speaking to NBC News, said interviews were still being conducted after Patel’s public pronouncements, adding: “There were still people being rounded up on a sealed federal case. It’s not great.”
The Secret Service, which led the investigation from the beginning, made its frustrations known. Deputy Director Matt Quinn told reporters on June 16: “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.’ Anyone that believes that case was worked in a bubble is naive. I’ll tell you, the Secret Service led that investigation from the beginning.” Quinn also said the investigation remained ongoing and that the Secret Service had intentionally kept it covert “to maintain the integrity of the investigation and the security plan.”
The Investigation’s Origins
The case began when a mother called local law enforcement in Ohio on June 10 expressing concerns about her son’s behavior. The Knox County Sheriff’s Office and Danville Police Department visited 19-year-old Tycen Proper’s home, and he was taken into custody at a mental health center. Family members told authorities he had made “sympathetic comments about Adolf Hitler” and posted “anti-Semitic comments on Facebook,” according to court documents reviewed by NBC News.
During an FBI interview, Proper provided details of an encrypted Signal chat where members discussed flying drones laden with explosives onto the South Lawn and shooting at fleeing attendees. By Friday, another suspect from West Virginia told the FBI that group members had canceled their attack plans that morning, according to federal officials.
An FBI task force officer filed a criminal complaint against Proper on Friday, but the case remained sealed as the investigation unfolded. A federal prosecutor asked a federal magistrate judge to keep the case under seal on Monday, which the judge agreed to do. By the end of June 16, after Patel’s post, five defendants were in custody facing federal charges: Proper, 24-year-old Bryan Omar Roa, 32-year-old Michael Alan Thomas, 32-year-old Daniel Eskridge, and 31-year-old Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez.
Patel’s disclosure was not the first time the FBI director has faced criticism for premature public announcements. In September 2025, Patel incorrectly claimed on social media that the shooter in the Charlie Kirk assassination case was in custody, only to have authorities release the person hours later. Senator Dick Durbin, D-Ill., criticized Patel at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, saying Patel was “so anxious to take credit for finding Mr. Kirk’s assassin” that he violated “one of the basics of effective law enforcement: at critical stages of an investigation, shut up and let the professionals do their job.”
The FBI and Secret Service issued a joint statement after the controversy, saying: “The FBI and U.S. Secret Service are proud of our strong working relationship. This investigation highlights that continuous partnership and could not have happened without the great work and coordination between our two agencies.”
Sources
- NBC News — Kash Patel’s post took federal law enforcement officials by surprise; authorities were still working to take suspects into custody; one official said Patel did “a lot of damage”; interviews were still being conducted after his announcement; five defendants in custody by end of June 16.
- USA Today — Secret Service intentionally kept investigation covert; at least 10 additional suspects sought before Patel’s announcement; Deputy Director Quinn’s “don’t choke on your own smoke” comment; case was sealed in federal court; Patel’s prior criticism for premature announcements in the Charlie Kirk case.
