LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) – An Omaha man the DOJ has said was the mastermind behind a plot to attack the Freedom 250 UFC event last month at the White House is being extradited to Ohio to stand trial.
Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, 31, was arrested by the FBI in Omaha on June 14 after he and his wife came home from the pool. He was among eight men indicted on murder and conspiracy charges for their alleged roles in a thwarted drone and sniper attack on the UFC cage-fighting show staged at the White House in June.
Investigators say the group planned to kill law-enforcement officers, politicians, and other high-profile people in an attack June 14 — all because Alvarez was upset with the status of the U.S. government.
Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, 31, of Omaha(Douglas County Sheriff’s Office)
The warrant ordering his extradition to Ohio was issued on Thursday and signed by personnel at the Saline County Sheriff’s Office on Monday. According to the indictment filed in Ohio, the plot to began in May, when the group began amassing money, firearms, ammunition, body armor, explosives, drones, medical equipment, communications equipment and other items.
Charges filed against Alvarez in Nebraska were dismissed Wednesday — a technical matter as federal courts work to consolidate the case in Ohio, where charged were filed against him on Thursday in Columbus, Ohio.
Others charged in the attack are:
Daniel K. Eskridge, 32, of Kidder, Mo.William L. S. Falkner, 21, of Belfair, Wash.Tycen C. Proper, 19, of Danville, OhioJordan W. Rincker, 28, St. Joseph, Mo.Bryan Omar Roa, 24, of Calimesa, Calif.Chandler D. Scaggs, 21, of Chapmanville, W. Va.Michael Alan Thomas, 32, of Pinon Hills, Calif.Investigation in Nebraska
Alvarez was originally booked in Nebraska on federal charges of conspiracy to commit an offense against the U.S. and conspiracy to commit murder. In Ohio, he has been formally charged with two felonies: conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists.
Federal court records indicate Alvarez is not a U.S. citizen. Days after his arrest, Homeland Security said in an update that Alvarez overstayed his visa in 2001, and was granted DACA status in 2014.
At his arraignment in Nebraska on June 29, the federal court judge said she was concerned about Alvarez’s mental health history, though defense attorney Stu Dornan told First Alert 6 then that his client was holding up well.
During the proceedings, Dornan had argued the charges be dropped because Alvarez had withdrawn his participation in the alleged attack. Dornan also said that Alverez had called off plans for the alleged attack, noting that only one person in the group allegedly showed up in Washington, D.C., then went home — but the FBI said the alleged plan was only cancelled after the agents uncovered a plot.
The U.S. Department of Justice said in an update Thursday that the men allegedly used chat groups and forums on Signal, SimpleX, Discord, TikTok, and Instagram to coordinate their plans.
“Throughout these communications, they allegedly developed plans for attacks, recruited members and encouraged each other to prepare for attacks, including the attack on UFC Freedom 250,” the DOJ said in its release. “…As part of this conspiracy, the defendants allegedly planned to murder the President of the United States, Vice President of the United States, other federal officials, the Prime Minister of Israel, Elon Musk and “other high value targets” at UFC Freedom 250.”
Investigation in Ohio
The investigation originated with Proper after his parents notified local authorities in Ohio that they had concerns about their son’s recent firearms purchases and online communications. Authorities said they later determined that Proper was in Washington, D.C., at the time, allegedly to conduct a “recon mission.”
While executing a search warrant at Proper’s home in Ohio, authorities confiscated an iPhone and uncovering Signal chats with someone called “Shepherd,” a user investigators said was Alvarez.
Tycen Proper(Franklin County [Ohio] Sheriff’s Office)
The investigation into Proper allegedly found he had been stockpiling weapons, and had recently purchased camping gear and food, ballistic plates, a shotgun and a rifle as well as thousands of rounds of ammunition, extra magazines and plate carriers with about $3,000 he received as graduation gifts. He also had apparently quit his job recently in order to prepare for the “missions” and “recons” and told authorities he had been “considering joining the military or police force with the goal of being able to kill people.”
Court records show that Proper had been communicating with groups on Signal in a 19-member chat group called “Hunters” and a TikTok group called “Vanguard of the Old.” He also allegedly identified Alvarez as the organizer of the attack.
“The members of the group stated that they wanted to protect the United States, which they believed was headed in the wrong direction. Members of the group believed that the United States needed to be torn down so that it could be rebuilt. Some expressed a desire that people who were involved with Jeffrey Epstein should not govern the country,” the criminal complaint states.
The group also expressed ultra-religious and anti-government sentiments, “citing grievances about government corruption, the handling of the Epstein files, data centers taking up all the water in communities, and other government actions.” Court documents detailing the case against Thomas and Roa say the group also represented themselves as ex-military and that some shared Christian-based ideology. Thomas also expressed anti-Semitic views.
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The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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