The Department of Homeland Security said Thursday that an illegal immigrant from Mexico who sought deportation relief under President Obama orchestrated the foiled terrorist attack targeting the UFC Freedom 250 event Sunday at the White House.
Officials said Abraham Alvarez, 31, came to the U.S. in 2001 as a child on a visa designated for tourism, medical treatment and other short-term purposes, but he remained in the country after the visa expired.
The Obama administration’s policy of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, spared him from deportation after he was deemed a “Dreamer” in 2014.
Prosecutors accused Mr. Alvarez of devising an attack plan intended to kill President Trump and other “high-value targets” by launching explosive-laden drones and having snipers open fire on the thousands of UFC fans.
“This illegal alien from Mexico should have never been allowed in our country,” Lauren Bis, acting assistant secretary of the Homeland Security Department, said in a statement. “He was the ringleader of a failed terror attack targeting UFC Freedom 250 at the White House.”
The department said he will be prosecuted and then deported for the thwarted attack on the White House complex.
Four others accused in the plot — Daniel Eskridge of Missouri, Tycen Proper of Ohio, and Bryan Omar Roa and Michael Alan Thomas of California — were charged. The attack was intended to take place on the South Lawn of the White House.
Mr. Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, Cabinet members, celebrities and active-duty military personnel were among the 4,300-person crowd watching the professional cage fighting matches. An additional 85,000 fans gathered on the White House Ellipse for a viewing party.
Prosecutors said Mr. Alvarez called the shots in the online group united by anti-government sentiments, dissatisfaction with the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, and U.S.-Israel relations.
Court documents accused Mr. Alvarez, dubbed “Shepherd” in the group chat, of planning the attack: Kamikaze drones would force a mass evacuation at the UFC fight, and snipers would then ambush the fleeing crowd.
“This is the best action I see. Position your teams in the purple dots (counter sniper and drones) Long range (circled area) (great shot) Easy out into the river,” he wrote in reference to maps, according to the filing.
When another member of the group chat asked about making the explosive drones, Mr. Alvarez replied, “As many and as deadly as we can get,” according to court documents.
The complaint said Mr. Alvarez shared a photo of an old church in Nebraska to serve as a hideout and provided directions to the location.
“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,” Eugene Kowel, the special agent in charge at the FBI Omaha field office, said in a statement after Mr. Alvarez was charged Tuesday.
Tycen Proper’s family alerted authorities in Knox County, Ohio, after their 19-year-old son admitted to talking about “hit and run” missions with the group, which his family interpreted as a mass shooting plot, court documents said.
The filing said Mr. Proper quit his job and spent $3,000 on weapons, ammunition and tactical gear in preparation for the attack.
He also identified targets for the group to prioritize, such as Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee Republican, and a quartet of West Virginia Republicans — Sens. Jim Justice and Shelley Moore Capito, and Reps. Carol Miller and Riley Moore — because of their ties to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Mr. Proper’s family noticed him looking at maps of the Washington area just four days before the terrorist plot was supposed to unfold. The family soon called police, and prosecutors said Mr. Proper admitted to the scheme when he was interviewed by the FBI.
The Justice Department said the remaining alleged conspirators were arrested at their homes in California and Missouri days later. Each of them had caches of firearms, ammunition and other combat gear in their residences.
“Protecting the president of the United States and the White House grounds is priority number one for the U.S. Secret Service,” Director Sean Curran said in a statement. “The landscape has changed, and as a result, we have seen a dramatic rise in threats against our protectees.”
Each of the five is accused of conspiracy to commit murder. Mr. Alvarez and Mr. Proper face additional charges of conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States, and Mr. Proper has been charged with weapons violations.
Federal officials said up to 23 other co-conspirators may be linked to the foiled attack.
If convicted of murder conspiracy, each man could be sentenced to life in prison.
