Alleged Leader of UFC Terror Plot Is an Illegal Immigrant Granted ‘Dreamer’ Status Under Obama
The man accused of coordinating a failed scheme to attack the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House over the weekend is an illegal immigrant from Mexico who was granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) under the Obama administration, Department of Homeland Security officials said Thursday.
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FBI agents arrested Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez in Omaha, Neb., on Sunday for his alleged connection with a plan to attack the recent UFC event on the south lawn of the White House, which was attended by numerous government officials and others. Alvarez is believed to be the ringleader of the group that planned the attack, according to officials, while four other co-conspirators were also arrested over the weekend in Ohio, Missouri, and California.
The FBI alleges Alvarez was responsible for organizing the thwarted attack, which involved a multi-part plan to target buildings near the event with explosive-laden drones in an attempt to force a mass evacuation that would send crowds toward a pre-staged sniper team. The would-be attackers then allegedly planned to storm the White House gate.
Alvarez, who operated under the name “Shepherd” online, allegedly “used a Signal chat to direct staging locations, sniper and drone positions, escape routes and communications protocols,” according to court documents. He instructed the others involved in the plot — police say as many as 23 people were involved in the chat planning the attack — to obtain explosive-capable drones, specifically instructing them to get their hands on “as many and as deadly as we can get.”
Now DHS says Alvarez, who is facing federal charges of conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to commit violence on White House grounds, entered the United States on a B2 visitor visa and failed to depart before it expired in December 2001. He was later granted DACA status by the Obama administration in 2014.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has lodged a detainer for Alvarez.
“This illegal alien from Mexico should never have been allowed in our country. He was the ringleader of a failed terror attack targeting UFC Freedom 250 at the White House,” acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement. “He and his co-conspirators now face charges of conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to commit violence on White House grounds. He will face justice and swiftly be removed from our country.”
One suspect told investigators the group’s motive was to target “capitalist elites,” “billionaires” or politicians who received donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, according to Fox News.
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The FBI first learned of the group’s plans on June 10. The parents of 19-year-old Tycen Proper reportedly called deputies in Knox County, Ohio, to their home to express concern about their son’s collection of firearms and tactical gear. Proper allegedly spent $3,000 of his “graduation money” to purchase ammunition, guns, extra magazines and other items for the planned attack. The parents advised authorities that he had been communicating with a group of people online who identified as ex-military and Christian, and shared “ultra-religious and anti-government” views.
Deputies ultimately arrested Proper, who then allegedly admitted he had been working with the group online to plan an attack on the UFC event.
Authorities would go on to also arrest Alvarez; Bryan Omar Roa and Michael Alan Thomas of California; and Daniel K. Eskridge in Missouri.
Eskridge’s wife allegedly told investigators that her husband described himself as a recruiter for the group and that he had been collecting tactical gear, including a rifle, ammunition and other equipment, in recent months, according to court documents. He also built a shooting range on his property in the weeks leading up to his arrest.
The FBI and U.S. Secret Service said their “strong working relationship” helped prevent the alleged attack.
“The FBI and U.S. Secret Service are proud of our strong working relationship,” a spokesperson for the FBI and U.S. Secret Service said on Tuesday. “This investigation highlights that continuous partnership and could not have happened without the great work and coordination between our two agencies. This weekend’s thwarted attack should be a message to any criminal actor that if you target Americans, you will be found and brought to justice.”
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