Illegal immigrant led failed attack on White House UFC event
· Toronto Sun
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The alleged ringleader behind the thwarted attack on the White House UFC event over the weekend was arrested in Nebraska.
Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, a 31-year-old Mexican national in the United States illegally, was detained by the FBI in Omaha on Sunday, before ICE lodged a detainer against him, the Department of Homeland Security said in a news release Thursday.
The man with a plan
Officials said they believe Alvarez was the leader of the group behind the terror plot intended to strike Washington, D.C.
“From his home here in Nebraska, Alvarez allegedly directed and recruited others across the country to conduct a horrific attack against government officials in a mass casualty event. Our team worked around the clock to locate and apprehend Alvarez, take him into custody, and collect crucial evidence,” Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel of FBI Omaha Field Office said in a statement.
The FBI identified Alvarez as the individual using the name “Shepherd” in an encrypted chat app that was used to plan the attack on the UFC Freedom 250 event, the Department of Justice said in a news release .
They believe he was responsible for orchestrating the planned attack after finding conversations that included maps of the area specifying drone launch points and ideal sniper positions.
Another message from “Shepherd” to another suspect on making drones with explosives read: “As many and as deadly as we can get.”
The complaint further alleges that Shepherd provided a photo and directions to an old church in Western, Neb., to be used as their safe zone.
“The conspirators allegedly planned to deploy drones armed with explosives in and around the UFC Freedom 250 event to force an evacuation of the event and then planned to deploy snipers to fire upon ‘high-value targets’ within the fleeing crowd,” the DOJ stated.
Five arrests made, so far
Alvarez was arrested on Sunday in a raid on the aforementioned church, the building of which he owns, according to records.
He was booked on federal charges of conspiracy to commit an offence against the U.S. and conspiracy to commit murder.
Also arrested were Tycen C. Proper, 19, of Danville, Ohio; Bryan Omar Roa, 24, of Calimesa, Calif.; Michael Alan Thomas, 32, of Pinon Hills, Calif.; and Daniel K. Eskridge, 32, of Kidder, Mo., in the foiled plot.
The DOJ explained that investigators found their way to Alvarez while investigating Proper.
Proper allegedly had been stockpiling weapons and communicating with groups online before his parents grew concerned and contacted authorities, according to court documents obtained by WOWT.
The court records say Proper told authorities he connected with Alvarez on TikTok before they moved their conversation to an encrypted messaging app, where investigators say plans for the attack were coordinated.
Who were the intended targets?
Proper said the group planned to meet in Virginia and use drones during a demonstration to blow up the north side of the UFC arena, then shoot the crowd as they evacuated to the south, according to court records.
Meanwhile, snipers would focus on high-value targets, like wealthy people and politicians, in order to jumpstart a revolution.
Alvarez posted much of the plans in a group chat, investigators said, with the top targets allegedly being President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
The criminal case remains pending.