Overview
- Federal agents arrested Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez in Omaha on Sunday, June 14, and detained four other suspects in Ohio, Missouri and California after investigators say the planned attack on the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House was disrupted.
- DHS has publicly named Alvarez as the alleged ringleader, saying he entered the U.S. on a B‑2 visa that expired in 2001 and received DACA protection in 2014; ICE has lodged a detainer seeking custody for immigration enforcement.
- Prosecutors and DHS say Alvarez used the alias “Shepherd” and directed the operation through encrypted group chats that discussed using drones, counter‑snipers and a safe zone to maximize casualties.
- The Justice Department charged five men with conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to commit violence on White House grounds, and those allegations remain unproven as the case moves through federal court.
- The case raises national security and immigration policy questions, with officials investigating roughly two dozen chat participants who may not all be in custody and with any removal proceedings to follow the outcome of the criminal case.