FBI counter-drone – As the World Cup draws crowds in Los Angeles and beyond, FBI agents are running daylong counter-drone operations, intercepting dozens of unauthorized drones around major venues and issuing citations to pilots. The heightened effort comes as federal authorities
The cheering started at SoFi Stadium and kept echoing across Los Angeles—until FBI agents in command centers leaned in, eyes fixed on the skies.
In the first week of the World Cup. counter-unmanned aircraft centers have been busy. tracking unauthorized flying objects and moving quickly when something doesn’t belong. For the FBI, it’s a tightly timed race. “We have a short period of time to determine if it is a threat. ” said FBI Special Agent James Peaco. the weapons of mass destruction and counter-unmanned aircraft system coordinator for the bureau’s Los Angeles office. overseeing counter-drone operations. “The drone threat is here, and it is real.”.
Peaco said the FBI has cited scores of drone pilots for interference in World Cup games, though a precise national total was not available. The names of those pilots have not been released. Law enforcement sources said they were hobbyists who do not appear to be intent on causing harm.
In Inglewood, where New Zealand and Iran have faced off and where the Americans played Paraguay, the FBI said it has intercepted at least 28 drones in the last week around SoFi Stadium and the fan festival at the L.A. Coliseum.
Some operators are spotted by federal surveillance in the air. But at many venues, the decisive moment comes closer to the ground. FBI and local law enforcement teams conduct physical interceptions at each location, making contact with the drone pilot. Most pilots, the FBI said, are surprised when agents swoop in and issue a federal citation.
The urgency behind those citations sharpened over the weekend. when federal authorities arrested several people—including two men from California—describing what they said was a plot to kill government officials and others at the UFC cage-fighting event staged at the White House last weekend. Authorities said the five co-conspirators allegedly shared antigovernment ideology.
Court records described a plan, involving drones, to drop explosives on the north side of the White House to create panic and funnel event attendees toward locations where snipers would be ready to kill certain high-value targets. None of that, federal authorities said, ever came to pass.
Investigators said they became aware of the alleged plot on June 10, four days before the UFC fight, after one suspect’s mother reported concerns about her son’s recent conduct. The report pointed to firearms purchases and communications with people online, according to the criminal complaint.
Drone reconnaissance has become a routine part of anti-terror efforts in recent years, especially around high-profile targets. Peaco has worked on drone interdiction programs since 2018, including the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl.
The FBI’s approach relies on an electronic mix of radio frequency scanners. radars. and listening and optical devices. as well as jammers—and. when needed. the bureau’s own drones. The warnings, officials say, are not subtle: massive fines, citations, and possible federal charges for operators. Yet enforcement encounters suggest that repeated warnings are still being ignored.
Federal rules put the burden on pilots. The Federal Aviation Administration prohibits all aircraft operations. including drone flights. within a 3-nautical-mile radius and up to 3. 000 feet above ground level around certain stadiums hosting World Cup matches. Peaco said the onus is on drone operators to check restrictions.
At least once during the tournament so far. drones have gotten close enough to the massive stadium in Inglewood to be seized and brought to the ground by the FBI. According to a white paper by one of the manufacturers. that kind of takeover is possible through technology that lets an agent communicate with the drone. substitute themselves as the operator. take it over. and ground it. “The capability exists to bring that drone down into a safe location away from the grounds. ” FBI Assistant Director Patrick Grandy. who oversees the L.A. office, said in days before the games.
The same playbook is expected to keep repeating as the tournament moves forward. The FBI said it is likely to continue through the 78 World Cup games unfolding. Just last week, agents seized 21 drones in Atlanta.
Agents have been cautious about what they share publicly. The FBI generally does not like to discuss all the tools it uses in its antidrone defenses.
At the most basic level, radio frequency sensors monitor airspace and identify drone activity the moment it enters a coverage zone. The drone’s communication protocols, officials said, can identify the aircraft make, model, and registered operator and pinpoint the drone’s take-off location.
FBI detection also includes radar and acoustic sensors that can detect the distinct noise signature of drones’ motors and propellers, along with thermal and optical detection.
More elaborate systems exist as well. One maker of a counter-drone tool in federal hands says its technology can interact and communicate directly in a drone’s language. enabling it to be taken over. Earlier this year. the Department of Homeland Security awarded a contract to a company that makes a drone with massive nets to ensnare other drones. Strategic military resources go further. including advanced sensors. directed energy. electronic warfare. and kinetic interceptors designed to detect. track. and neutralize unmanned threats. whether a single drone or a swarm. A top FBI official recently revealed that the bureau does have the authority to make such intercepts.
The White House plot investigators described was, by comparison, lower-tech—and federal officials said it remains unclear how close it came to fruition.
The arrests tied to that case came in two different locations in California on Saturday. Michael Alan Thomas. 32. was arrested in San Bernardino County’s Piñon Hills and charged with conspiracy to commit murder. according to officials and records from the U.S. Department of Justice. Bryan Omar Roa. 24. was arrested the same day about 50 miles south in Riverside County’s Calimesa and also charged with conspiracy to commit murder.
In messages exchanged on an encrypted messaging application called SimpleX. Thomas and Roa communicated in a chatroom titled “Vanguard of the Old Republic. ” according to the complaint. In the chat. Thomas told Roa he was “up the hill behind LA. ” clarifying he was in Piñon Hills. to which Roa responded that he was in Yucaipa. Yucaipa is located right next to Calimesa, where officials said Roa was arrested.
According to the complaint filed in federal court in California. Roa and Thomas had been in touch virtually. but had met up at least once in the last month to practice marksmanship and tactics. Authorities said Thomas later admitted to helping plan the attack and encouraging others to take part. In an interview with FBI agents. Thomas allegedly told authorities the aim of this attack and future ones was to create enough chaos to bring about the overthrow of the U.S. government, according to the criminal complaint.
Authorities said Thomas also expressed beliefs that the U.S. government is run by an elite group of individuals who sacrifice and consume infants. The complaint said Thomas mentioned Jeffrey Epstein. who was accused of sex-trafficking girls and young women. and said Epstein’s associates are now protected by President Trump.
The court filings said Roa denied any involvement in the conspiracy. Roa later told authorities he planned to attend the UFC event only as a protester. but his vehicle malfunctioned and he had to return home. His family members. however. told law enforcement that Roa said one day they would wake up and he would be gone. and that he intended to travel to Washington. where “something big” would happen.
Neither Thomas nor Roa could be reached for comment.
The message is landing the same way in Los Angeles as the tournament continues: drones can be a hobby in daylight, or they can be a hazard with consequences measured in seconds—so the chase stays constant while crowds keep gathering.
FBI counter-drone World Cup Los Angeles SoFi Stadium L.A. Coliseum Inglewood terrorism fears Federal Aviation Administration drone interceptions UFC White House plot SimpleX
So they can track drones but not criminals. got it.
Didn’t they already stop drones like last year? Seems like they just cite people and move on. Also why is it always LA getting hit with this stuff.
Wait so they intercepted “dozens” and just issued citations? That sounds kinda weak if it was actually a threat. And the article says they don’t know the national total but they know it’s real… seems contradictory. I’m confused how a drone can interfere but not be a big deal.
World Cup crowds + drones = chaos, I guess. But I swear every time they say “unauthorized” it’s like, people filming a game with a hobby drone. They never release names, so how do we even know it’s not some mistake? I saw something online about drones being used for “weapons” like automatically, but idk. FBI always scrambling and then nothing ever comes of it.