OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Announcing the arrest of five suspects in the foiled plot to attack the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House on Sunday, the U.S. Department of Justice said Tuesday that an Omaha man taken into custody was the mastermind behind the whole conspiracy. Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, 31, of Omaha was arrested Sunday in a raid on an old church in the small town of Western, Neb. According to federal court records filed Tuesday, Alvarez is not a U.S. citizen. “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. Our team worked around the clock to locate and apprehend Alvarez, take him into custody, and collect crucial evidence,” Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel of the FBI Omaha field office said in Tuesday release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, 31, of Omaha (Douglas County Sheriff's Office) News of Alvarez’s arrest came after FBI Director Kash Patel announced on social media that law enforcement officials had disrupted “planned attacks” meant to target the UFC Freedom 250 cage-fighting show staged at the White House this past weekend, and that multiple people were in custody. The DOJ update issued Tuesday afternoon said that five people had been arrested during the investigation — and said they believed Alvarez was the ringleader of the group behind a plot to orchestrate a mass-casualty event at the White House event. Others arrested include: Tycen C. Proper , 19, of Danville, Ohio; Bryan Omar Roa, 24, of Calimesa, Calif.; Michael Alan Thomas, 32, of Pinon Hills, Calif.; and Daniel K. Eskridge , 32, of Kidder, Mo. “The conspirators allegedly planned to deploy drones armed with explosives in and around the UFC Freedom 250 event in order to force an evacuation of the event and then planned to deploy snipers to fire upon ‘high value targets’ within the fleeing crowd,” the DOJ release states. But it’s unclear from the court records how close the would-be attackers could have come to being able to carry out the plan had it not been thwarted. Nebraska arrest Alvarez was taken into custody during a raid Sunday at an old church in Western, Neb., located in Saline County. The DOJ said he had intended the location to be the “safe zone” for the group he was allegedly leading. Records show that he owns the church building where the raid took place, listing an apartment south of 115th Street and West Dodge Road as his primary residence on the deed. Authorities say they arrested 31-year-old Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez during a raid on an old church in Western, Neb., a village in Saline County, on Sunday, June 14, 2026. (Anthony Dagostino / KOLN) Alvarez was booked on federal charges of conspiracy to commit an offense against the U.S. and conspiracy to commit murder. He appeared in front of a judge via video conference on Tuesday morning. If convicted of the murder conspiracy charge, Alvarez faces a possible life sentence and a $250,000 fine; should he be released, he would be required to be under supervision for five years. If convicted of conspiring against the United States, he faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison followed by three years supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. The investigation is ongoing, but an FBI Omaha spokesperson confirmed Tuesday morning that there was no continuing threat to the public. First Alert 6 reached out to FBI Omaha for more details and were referred to FBI Director Kash Patel’s tweet: On June 10, FBI and our law enforcement partners became aware of a potential threat to the UFC America 250 event in Washington, D.C. involving individuals outside of the National Capital Region – and thanks to the rapid action of this FBI, our partners, and the Department of... pic.twitter.com/PbWkIk1Lr5 — FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) June 16, 2026 Investigation details Documents released by the DOJ say investigators found their way to Alvarez, Roa, and Thomas while investigating Proper. Messages between Proper and Alvarez were traced back to a Cox Communications internet account associated with Alvarez, according to court records obtained by 10/11 Now. Authorities Knox County (Ohio) deputies and Danville (Ohio) Police officers responded at about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, after his parents flagged concerns about recent firearms purchases and online communications, the records show. Members of Proper’s family allegedly said he had “recently met random people online and had been planning ‘recons’ with these individuals.” Tycen Proper (Franklin County (Ohio) Sheriff's Office) Authorities then executed a search warrant at Proper’s home in Ohio on Thursday, confiscating an iPhone and uncovering Signal chats with someone called “Shepherd,” a user investigators say is Alvarez. 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 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. In a message to the group on May 23, per court records, Thomas described the four tiers of the group’s membership, saying “We will all sacrifice for tier one operators.” “Tier 1 operators” were the ones who would “put themselves in harm’s way, break the law, and potentially go into hiding.” Tier 2 members would serve as getaway drivers and drone operators — and “may still be asked to seriously break the law,” including potentially breaking people out of jail. Tier 3 would serve as runners or “part of an Underground Railroad,” providing logistical and indirect support as well as tech and other supplies, “still actively contributing, but most likely safe from legal issues.” Tier 4 would — who wouldn’t be asked to take any personal risks — would consist of social media influencers, funders, press, and other followers. According to court records, Proper told authorities the two of them connected after Alvarez posted on TikTok about the UFC Freedom 250 event happening at the White House. Eventually they moved the conversation to encrypted messaging app Signal, where investigators says plans for the attack were coordinated. Authorities also found several social media posts on accounts they tied to the suspects showing firearms and other tactical training. Autoplay Investigators also seized a rifle, handgun, tactical belt, ammunition and a rifle magazine, a two-way radio, and an infrared laser target pointer from Roa during a search of his residence and vehicle in California; a rifle, 30-round extended magazines for the rifle, 180 of rounds of ammunition, and a pistol after serving a search warrant Saturday on Thomas; rifles, a shot gun, pistol, and other tactical gear while executing a warrant Saturday on Eskridge. “Proper allegedly amassed firearms, thousands of rounds of ammunition, and tactical gear at his home in Ohio,” according to the DOJ release. DOJ records show that Thomas admitted to law enforcement that he helped plan the attack and encourage others to participate. Roa, however, told authorities he had attempted to drive to Washington, D.C., to protest during the UFC Freedom 250 event but denied any involvement in the conspiracy. The alleged plot According to court records, Proper said the group would meet up in Fredericksburg, Va., and use drones during a demonstration to blow up the north side of the UFC arena build outside the White House, then shoot the crowd as they evacuated to the south. The snipers would focus on high-value targets, like wealthy people and politicians, in order to jumpstart a revolution, the documents state, listing top targets as President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Tesla/SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, and multiple members of Congress. Messages in the e-communications identified Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Jim Justice (R-W. Va.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W. Va.), and Reps. Carol Miller (R-W. Va.) and Riley Moore (R-W. Va.), as potential targets as they were recipients of AIPAC funds. While Thomas told authorities he planned the UFC Freedom 250, according to court records, Alvarez allegedly posted a large portion of the planning information and provided direction to the other members in the chat group. There were also discussions on locations for snipers and drones, including where to fall back after the attack, noting that the Thomas Jefferson memorial offered the “cleanest route to exfiltrate from the area” and that some in the group would exit the area along the Potomac River. There was also talk of a “second wave” of the plot involving power grids. Investigators said Alvarez noted in messages that “several actions and militia have been notified. They will be the teeth and the Shepherds,” records state. In a message on June 12, Alvarez said the fallback location would be an old church in Nebraska, and included a Google Streetview photo of the building, documents show. Official responses First Alert 6 caught up with the governor at a bill signing in Omaha on Tuesday, asking him about the federal investigation resulting in Alvarez’s arrest in Saline County. The governor issued a statement on Tuesday morning regarding the alleged plot and subsequent arrests: “This morning the U.S. Department of Justice announced the arrest and charging of several individuals across the United States, including one in Nebraska, for an alleged plot to carry out an attack to kill government officials and others attending the UFC fight held at the White House on Sunday. The attack was to involve drone-delivered explosives followed by shooting at survivors as they fled the scene. One of the key ringleaders of this planned attack was identified by the FBI right here in Nebraska. I am proud beyond words not only that this terrorist is now behind bars, but also that our Nebraska State Patrol provided significant support in the FBI-led operation that took him into custody. This nationwide investigation is ongoing and further details may emerge, but it already provides a timely example that violent extremists can be lurking anywhere, even right here in the Good Life. As always, homeland security starts at home, and vigilance is critical to identify and stop attacks like this before they can be carried out. Thank God that our national leaders, including President Trump, are safe, and thank God for the brave men and women of law enforcement everywhere in this country for the work they do to protect the innocent from anarchy and violence.” Lesley Woods, U.S. Attorney for the District of Nebraska, the evil plot was disrupted “in record time”: “The complete disruption of this evil plot in record time demonstrates how foolish it is to engage in terrorist plots of this kind from the District of Nebraska. The FBI and its state and local law enforcement partners swiftly and effectively neutralized this threat before it had any chance of success. Federal prosecutors and agents worked tirelessly to take the necessary steps to ensure the safety and security of our nation’s leaders.” Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel from the FBI Omaha field office credited law enforcement partnerships in apprehending Alvarez: “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. Our team worked around the clock to locate and apprehend Alvarez, take him into custody, and collect crucial evidence. The local partnerships forged in our FBI Omaha Joint Terrorism Task Force were critical in mitigating the threat posed by Alavarez and others. We are incredibly thankful for the support of the Nebraska State Patrol, Omaha Police Department, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Council Bluff’s Police Department, and Saline County Sheriff’s Office in our continued efforts to identify and thwart violent attacks against the U.S.” — Digital Producer Jackson Piercy and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2026 WOWT. All rights reserved.

Source: WOWT

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