Federal agents were trying to stop an alleged plot to attack President Donald Trump's UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House.

FBI Deputy Director Chris Raia said investigators thought they had stopped the alleged conspiracy before the event, and they were watching the suspects.

Chris Raia said, 'We felt very comfortable moving forward with the UFC event.' He also said, 'We were confident that we had disrupted the main plot.'

The FBI first arrested five people for the plot to kill lawmakers and attendees at the June 14 event. Later, two more defendants were identified.

There were 5 chilling details from the alleged White House attack plot tied to the UFC event.

Raia said the additional defendants were 'followers' rather than leaders of the conspiracy.

Chris Raia said, 'We were confident that we had the leaders, so the rest of the folks were more of the followers.'

Vice President JD Vance said, 'There was a lot of security at the event.' He also said, 'The plot was not that advanced. They weren't in town.'

Five suspects were charged in the alleged plot targeting President Donald Trump and other officials during the UFC Freedom 250 event.

The issue reportedly caused tensions between federal agencies.

Two senior U.S. officials said Secret Service leadership wanted to delay disclosing the investigation until more arrests could be made.

Chris Raia said the FBI did not share those concerns because they were already watching the alleged ringleaders and other suspected participants.

The FBI named a sixth suspect in the alleged plot to use drones and snipers to target the UFC Freedom 250 event.

Chris Raia said, 'We had the situation under control, even though we didn't make the arrests yet.' He also said, 'We were watching the people who were planning it.'

Despite disagreements over when to disclose the investigation, Raia said the FBI and Secret Service worked closely together.

Chris Raia said, 'It was a joint case with the Secret Service.'

The agencies worked together to assess the threat before deciding the event could proceed.

Chris Raia said, 'We all talked about it and decided to move forward with the UFC 250 event.'

Deputy Secret Service Director Matthew Quinn said the Secret Service had 'led the investigation from the beginning.'

Matthew Quinn said, 'We chose not to leak the information to maintain the integrity of the investigation.'

Chris Raia was appointed FBI co-deputy director in January after the departure of former Deputy Director Dan Bongino.

President Donald Trump was seated between Dana White and the First Lady at the event.

The alleged conspirators first connected through a TikTok community before moving to encrypted messaging platforms.

Court records indicate the network extended beyond the initial suspects, with approximately 19 participants in a primary Signal chat.

Chris Raia said the case is far from closed, with 14 to 15 FBI field offices assisting in the investigation.

Chris Raia said, 'We will continue to work the case aggressively.' He also said, 'You uncover one layer, and you see four more layers.'

The case highlights the FBI's challenge with encrypted communications platforms.

Chris Raia said, 'Encrypted communications platforms are a gap for us.'

The UFC Freedom 250 event took place on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington.

Chris Raia said investigators try to penetrate encrypted networks through confidential human sources and undercover employees.

Chris Raia said, 'We try to infiltrate those networks, obviously, with confidential human sources and undercover employees.'

However, the FBI does not have visibility into every encrypted chat where criminal activity may be occurring.

In the UFC case, a concerned parent helped investigators uncover the alleged conspiracy.

Chris Raia said, 'A concerned parent launched this entire UFC 250 case.' He also said, 'The parent called in about her son.'

The tip led investigators to the alleged network of encrypted chats, which discussed drones, sniper positions, and attack planning.

The UFC case reflects a shift in the threat landscape, with lone actors and small groups organizing online.

Chris Raia said, 'I'm less concerned about a large terrorist attack than a lone attacker.'

He described drone-based attacks as one of the FBI's top concerns, warning that tactics seen overseas could migrate to the United States.

Investigators saw signs that the alleged network may have been considering targets beyond the White House UFC event.

An FBI agent said messages among alleged conspirators referenced a potential attack on a FIFA World Cup match in Kansas City, Missouri.

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Chris Raia said, 'I think that is a threat that is emerging.' He also said, 'We have seen that overseas, and it's only a matter of time before someone brings that type of attack here.'

The alleged UFC plot illustrates concerns about encrypted communications, specialized roles, and coordinated activity across multiple states.

This story is part of Fox News Digital's exclusive interview with FBI Deputy Director Chris Raia.

Fox News' Mike Ruiz contributed to this report.