America is in ‘imminent danger’ of deadly drone attacks with the World Cup just months away.
‘There are lives on the line,’ according to Ryan Gury, the co-founder of PDW, whose systems are used by the US Army and by Secret Service agents tasked with protecting President Donald Trump. ‘This is the biggest change in warfare we’ve seen since World War Two.’
Next summer, the US, Canada and Mexico will host the 2026 soccer World Cup, which will be watched by billions of fans around the globe. More than 100 matches will be played in stadiums across 11 American cities.
Trump, who has already survived two assassination attempts, is expected to attend the final in New Jersey. Earlier this year, he was on the field as Chelsea celebrated their Club World Cup triumph at MetLife Stadium.
And politicians and industry experts believe both the president and soccer fans are ‘vulnerable’ to the ‘critical threat’ of drones that can be bought online for as little as $200. ‘When everyone has access to this, it becomes a different problem,’ Gury warned.
He is fearful that America will not truly wake up to the peril until ‘disaster’ strikes.
Donald Trump has been warned of the threat of drone attacks ahead of the 2026 World Cup
Politicians and industry experts believe the president and soccer fans could be ‘vulnerable’
‘I would love to be ahead of the threat and imminent danger that I believe we’re in,’ Gury told the Daily Mail. ‘So our ships and stadiums and our cities are clear of any vulnerability.’
He cites the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East as proof of how drones are taking over from traditional weapon systems.
‘In the last three years, we’ve gone from the first strike of a small drone to now they’re representational of 70 to 80 percent of all kills,’ Gury said.
‘[Our] airspace has been controlled by the FAA [Federal Aviation Administration], which was never built to manage this huge disruption.’
He claimed that these ‘weapons can be made by anyone,’ explaining: ‘I can go on Alibaba and Amazon and create a weapon that is largely something that you cannot escape, small drones… are able to remove tanks.’
He added: ‘If you’re smart, you can go on Alibaba and do this for $200. You can buy four motors, a computer called a flight controller – which is probably about 30 bucks – buy a battery, and that’s all you need.’
On who poses a particular threat to events such as the World Cup, Gury added: ‘Anyone who wants to cause harm to Americans or Europeans, people who represent freedom… there’s always going to be actors who try and stop that.’
Last year, a pro-ISIS outlet released a chilling poster, warning that drones could be used to cause bloodshed at cricket’s T20 World Cup in New York.
Trump went on the field to present the Club World Cup trophy to Chelsea at MetLife Stadium
Drones have become a pivotal weapon in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine
Since then, Gury has accused China of launching ‘a campaign of economic sabotage’ to ‘undermine’ the drone market in the United States.
Back in July, meanwhile, New York governor Kathy Hochul wrote to Trump, arguing there was a ‘critical need for federal action’ to curb the threat of drones.
She warned that the World Cup will be a ‘prime target’ and accused the government of being ‘unprepared.’ Hochul urged Trump: ‘The time for decisive action is now… before it is too late.’
Co-founder of PDW, Ryan Gury
Her warnings have been echoed by soccer’s governing body, FIFA, whose leading security officer reportedly identified drones as the tournament’s biggest security challenge, and by Gury. PDW produces drones for the US military and special forces as well as border patrol and police.
After Trump was shot last year at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, the Secret Service suspended several agents and invested in more drones to improve surveillance of possible threats.
Earlier this week, meanwhile, it was revealed that the Trump administration plans to launch a $500million effort to help develop anti-drone strategies ahead of the World Cup. According to Politico, officials envision cops using handheld tools to detect aircraft before possibly disabling them using jamming technology.
But, in an interview with the Daily Mail, Gury previously argued that the US has ‘not invested in the two areas in which we need.’
The first is to install solid-state radar coverage nationwide ‘to understand what’s in the air.’ Particularly around big events. Gury also wants the government to invest more in systems to ‘take those threats out of the sky.’
He cites Epirus, a California-based defense company whose systems can down drones using high-power microwaves.
There were fears of terrorist attacks at the T20 World Cup after a chilling poster was released
And Israel’s use of high-power laser systems – such as their ‘Iron Beam’ – which this year helped intercept dozens of drones during the war with Hezbollah.
‘You would want the same style of defense systems applied to civilians as you would for soldiers,’ Gury said. ‘Our job is to ensure that the good guys win and that we can create a safe world for ourselves.
‘When bad actors have access to the next level and next era of danger, that’s something that we need to protect ourselves against.’
Gury added: ‘We believe these weapons represent the future of American and European dominance and we are moving at breakneck speed to fill this gap that we see.’
In a statement to the Daily Mail, Andrew Giuliani, Executive Director of the White House Task Force for the FIFA World Cup 2026, said: ‘Working with our local and international partners, the United States will take every possible step to keep the 2026 World Cup safe and secure.’
