Abraham Alvarez is one of five co-conspirators in a drone attack plot targeting a UFC event at the White House.
Authorities have identified a Mexican national who entered the United States as a child and later gained protection under a program introduced during Barack Obama’s presidency as the alleged ringleader of a failed attack plot targeting a UFC event at the White House.31-year-old Abraham Alvarez was arrested in Nebraska, where investigators say he set up a base inside a former church building that was meant to serve as a “safe zone” for himself and other members of the conspiracy.According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Alvarez entered the United States as a child, but remained in the country after his B2 visa expired in 2001. He later received relief from deportation under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, known as the Dreamers Program, which was introduced by the Obama administration.Alvarez played a central role in organizing a planned attack against the UFC Freedom 250 event held on the South Lawn of the White House. The combat sporting event was attended by thousands of spectators, as well as US President Donald Trump and other senior government officials.Alvarez coordinated a group of conspirators who planned to launch explosive-laden drones into the crowd before using snipers to target people trying to flee the area.
The attack was disabled before it could be carried out. Alvarez was one of five people arrested in connection with the alleged plot, and the suspects were detained in Nebraska, Ohio, Missouri and California.“From his home here in Nebraska, Alvarez allegedly directed and recruited others across the country to launch a horrific attack against government officials in an event that left a mass casualty,” Special Agent in Charge Eugene Coyle of the FBI in Omaha said in a statement released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.“Our team worked around the clock to locate, arrest and detain Alvarez and collect crucial evidence.”Alvarez was responsible for planning, organizing and directing the operation. Federal investigators are also investigating the involvement of 23 other individuals believed to have ties to the plot.The case became politically charged after Homeland Security officials brought to light Alvarez’s immigration history.“This illegal alien from Mexico should never have been allowed to enter our country,” acting Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Lauren Pace told Fox News Digital. “He was the leader of the failed terrorist attack on the UFC Freedom 250 at the White House.”She added: “He will face justice and will be quickly deported from our country.”Authorities have not publicly revealed further details about Alvarez’s background, employment history, or how the group was organized.The defendants face serious federal charges. Detainees could be sentenced to life imprisonment if convicted of conspiracy to commit murder. They could also face an additional prison sentence of up to five years for planning an act of violence on the White House grounds.
