Alleged White House UFC Attack Ringleader Ordered Held in Nebraska Jail

Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, accused of leading a drone-and-sniper plot against a White House UFC event, was ordered detained after a Nebraska federal hearing.

Alleged ringleader of White House UFC attack plot denied release at Nebraska hearing

Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, the Omaha man federal authorities have identified as the alleged organizer of a plot to attack a UFC event on the White House South Lawn, will remain in custody after a federal magistrate judge in Lincoln, Nebraska ruled Monday that no conditions could adequately protect the public, Courthouse News Service reports.

Magistrate Judge Jacqueline M. DeLuca made the ruling following a probable cause and detention hearing at the Robert V. Denney Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Lincoln. She also found that probable cause existed to support Alvarez's arrest.

"I do not find there are any conditions that would alleviate the risk of harm to the public," DeLuca said from the bench.

Plot called off after FBI disruption and car breakdowns

FBI Special Agent Seena Ali Soheilian, assigned to the Omaha Joint Terrorism Task Force, testified that the June 14 attack was abandoned after the FBI began disrupting the operation and two of the conspirators suffered car breakdowns on the way to Washington, D.C. Alvarez then redirected the group toward a new attack date of July 4, though Soheilian did not specify which event investigators believe he intended to target on that date.

Alvarez's private attorney, Stu Dornan, framed the change of plans as a voluntary withdrawal. "My client did an affirmative act to disavow the conspiracy," Dornan told DeLuca. The judge rejected that characterization.

Soheilian testified that only one of the plotters actually reached Washington, where that individual conducted reconnaissance of the target locations before returning home. Alvarez himself was arrested in Omaha on June 14. Investigators found no evidence that he had purchased an airplane, bus, or train ticket to travel to the capital.

Drones, snipers, and a plan to force a crowd southward

Federal authorities have charged Alvarez with conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States and conspiracy to murder. According to court documents, the operation was set against the UFC America 250 event held on the White House South Lawn on June 14.

The plot, as described in an FBI arrest affidavit, called for the group to stage a demonstration on the north side of the White House. Drones carrying explosives would detonate above the north side of the UFC arena, forcing the crowd and what the conspirators termed "high value targets" to evacuate toward the south. Group members would then open fire on the evacuating spectators. The stated goal was to "jumpstart" a revolution.

In text messages reviewed by investigators, Alvarez allegedly referred to President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and businessman Elon Musk as "targets confirmed." Netanyahu did not attend the event.

According to authorities, Alvarez went by the online alias "Shepherd" and provided instructions on sniper positions, drone launch points, and escape routes.

A separate text message identified an abandoned church in the Saline County village of Western, Nebraska — roughly 45 miles southwest of Lincoln — as a "fall back location." Soheilian testified that Alvarez owned the building.

Seven charged in connection with the plot

The U.S. Department of Justice initially charged Alvarez alongside four other men: Tycen Proper, 19, of Ohio; Daniel Eskridge of Missouri; and Bryan Omar Roa and Michael Alan Thomas of California. Two additional arrests followed: William Lee Spartacus Falkner in Washington state and Jordan W. Rincker, 28, of Missouri.

The investigation was triggered on June 10, when the mother of Proper called her local police department with concerns about her son's firearms purchase and online communications. Proper subsequently confessed to the planned attack in an interview with investigators, according to prosecutors.

At some point before the June 14 date, Rincker traveled to Omaha to meet with Alvarez, where the two exchanged gear including weapons, ballistic vests, and cash.

FBI traced "Shepherd" through TikTok and IP address

Investigators identified Alvarez as the alias "Shepherd" by tracing a TikTok account to an IP address in west Omaha. He was arrested on June 14, the same day as the UFC event he is accused of targeting.

The Department of Homeland Security has described Alvarez as the "ringleader" of the conspiracy and noted that he entered the United States on a visitor visa that expired in December 2001. In 2014, the federal government permitted him to remain in the country under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

In court Monday, Alvarez — tall, with dark curly hair and a beard — appeared in the orange jumpsuit of the Saline County Jail in nearby Wilber. He nodded to family members seated at the back of the courtroom as he took his seat next to Dornan.

Soheilian testified that investigators could trace the origins of the plot to earlier in June, when Alvarez began recruiting and vetting individuals he had met online. He was described as upset about conditions in the United States, though the specific grievances were not detailed in open court.

Following Soheilian's testimony, both Dornan and Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine argued over whether Alvarez should be released pending further proceedings. The judge's ruling ended that debate: Alvarez remains held.

Source: Courthouse News Service