17 arrested, 12 guns seized: inside Operation Red Card, the quiet crackdown behind Seattle’s World Cup

Seattle police and federal agents are revealing new details about Operation Red Card, a quiet, weeks‑long crackdown on violent crime that ran behind the scenes of Seattle’s 2026 World Cup matches.

World Cup safety operation ran in the background

Andre Sayles, Seattle Police Department Deputy Chief of Administration and Investigations, said Operation Red Card was designed to capitalize on the World Cup spotlight by coordinating local, state, and federal resources against the region’s most dangerous offenders.

He called the tournament “an amazing time for our city” and noted there were no major public safety incidents during the games, crediting years of planning and a focused effort to remove high‑risk offenders and illegal guns from the streets.

“Our overall goal for this initiative was simple: to coordinate our shared resources, to identify violent criminals, and hold them accountable, thereby making Seattle a safer city for all,” Sayles said.

17 arrests, 12 guns seized in Operation Red Card

Over roughly five weeks, agencies working under the Red Card umbrella arrested 17 suspects, described as some of Seattle’s most violent offenders, and seized 12 firearms of varying calibers, including weapons modified with so‑called “switches” that can turn a semi‑automatic pistol into a fully automatic firearm.

Law enforcement also located two fugitives wanted in other states and returned them to Colorado and California to face prosecution there.

Many of the remaining suspects are expected to face state charges in King County, while some cases could be adopted for federal prosecution, according to investigators.

Officials said the operation contributed to a notably low level of violent crime in and around Seattle’s World Cup matches, despite an estimated 750,000 visitors coming through the region.

Multi‑agency ‘team sport’ approach

Leaders repeatedly described public safety as a “team sport.” The operation pulled together the Seattle Police Department, FBI – Seattle Field Office, and the King County Sheriff’s Office, including its Gun Violence Reduction Unit and Crime Analysis Unit.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Washington State Patrol, Department of Corrections, U.S. Marshals Service, King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office were also part of the operation.

Mike Harrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Seattle office, said the operation began taking shape in April, when federal and local partners sat down together to identify repeat violent offenders who either had active warrants or probable cause for arrest.

From June 1 through the last World Cup match in Seattle on July 6, agencies worked off a shared target list, keeping constant communication as they wrote warrants, ran intelligence checks, conducted surveillance, and moved in for arrests.

To bolster local resources, the FBI brought in temporary duty personnel from other field offices and committed not just to federal cases, but also to supporting state and local investigations with digital forensics, on‑scene processing, and its national and international reach when suspects cross borders.

“This concerted effort by all agencies to collaborate, communicate, and coordinate investigative efforts has proven highly effective,” Harrington said.

Targeting gun violence and high‑risk offenders

Kelly Park, King County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division Chief, said her agency’s Gun Violence Reduction Unit and Crime Analysis Unit spent hundreds of hours on the operation: analyzing data, building intelligence packages, drafting warrants, and helping plan safe arrests.

Park said the focus was on people they believe to be the “most violent offenders” in the region and on getting them and their weapons off the streets ahead of and during World Cup matches.

Role of the public and media

Officials also stressed the role of community awareness and the news media. Harrington told reporters that the public serves as “our eyes and ears” and that media outlets are critical in getting information out about fugitives, violent crime trends, and other public safety concerns.

They emphasized that while Operation Red Card was tied to the unique conditions of the World Cup, the partnership model it demonstrated — intelligence‑driven targeting, shared resources, and coordinated operations — is something they want to make permanent in the ongoing fight against violent crime in Seattle and across King County.

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