Kash Patel Slammed by Secret Service for 'Jumping the Gun' Revealing Probe into Alleged UFC Freedom Terror Plot
The Secret Service has slammed Kash Patel for his premature reporting of alleged UFC Freedom terror plot.
June 17 2026, Published 7:49 a.m. ET
Kash Patel enraged the Secret Service courtesy of his premature reporting of the UFC Freedom terror plot, according to new claims.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the under-fire FBI chief’s announcement was met by dismay by senior officials, as arrests made in connection with the investigation at that stage were still ongoing.
Officials 'Woke Up' Seeing Patel Posting on X
Secret Service officials were surprised seeing Patel boasting about FBI's role in probe.
As Radar reported, the FBI had intercepted an alleged plot targeting President Donald Trump's UFC Freedom 250 event on Sunday night.
But new claims have since come to light that officials "woke up" Tuesday morning to find Patel, 46, had posted on X, boasting about the FBI’s work to thwart the planned attack and arrest several individuals accused of conspiring in the plot. Patel thanked the Department of Justice as well as “law enforcement partners.”
But not all suspects had been arrested and the case was sealed in court at the time, angering Secret Service officials who led the investigation, sources told MSNOW.
'Don't Choke On Your Own Smoke'
Secret Service deputy Matt Quinn appeared to allude to Patel's boasting during press conference.
Matt Quinn, deputy director for the Secret Service, appeared to comment on the saga Tuesday.
He said in a press conference: "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 said the Secret Service "led that investigation from the beginning," and "chose not to leak it" because they wanted to maintain the integrity of the ongoing investigation.
Less than an hour after Patel's post, Secret Service Director Sean Curran released a statement saying the agency's primary responsibility is safeguarding the president and that it worked closely with the FBI throughout the investigation.
He wrote: "Equally important to our protective mission is ensuring accountability through the justice system.
"To that end, our formal comments regarding the specifics of this case will be made through court filings."
'Network Of Plotters'
Drones equipped with explosives were allegedly planned to hit building at event.
Federal law enforcement had five people in custody Monday but identified 23 others as part of a "network of plotters" who allegedly planned to use a drone equipped with an explosive to hit buildings near the event, force a mass evacuation and steer crowds toward a sniper team,
The Justice Department unsealed an indictment Tuesday, accusing 19-year-old Tycen Proper of planning the attack to "jumpstart" a revolution in the U.S.
After a search warrant was conducted on June 11, law enforcement uncovered a Signal chat that included messages between Proper and others about planning the alleged attack.
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The president claims he was unaware of the terror plot.
However, sources told MSNOW that the Secret Service and FBI discussed making more arrests and unsealing the case by late Tuesday afternoon before making a joint public statement. Ultimately, Patel chose to make the announcement Tuesday morning.
RadarOnline.com told how President Trump claimed he was unaware of the terror plot, sparking fresh health fears.
At the 52nd G7 Summit in France, the president was asked if he was briefed on the terror plot.
He told reporters: “I haven't heard about it, no. The attack I watched were the fighters ... They were as good of fights as I've ever seen."
