The ringleader of the group that planned to hijack the UFC Freedom 250 fight is an illegal alien who benefited from the left’s DACA program.
The illegal, Abraham Alvarez, came to America as a child and was later granted deportation relief by the Obama administration in 2014 via the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, according to Fox News.
BREAKING: DHS confirms that an alleged ringleader of the UFC/White House terror plot is a Mexican illegal alien who was granted DACA by the Obama administration. DHS says Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez overstayed a B-2 visitor visa and received DACA in 2014. The FBI assessed that… pic.twitter.com/ra2VydcpSo
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) June 18, 2026
Alvarez was one of five terrorists out of a larger group of 23 who were arrested as per their plans to use “explosive-laden drones to hit buildings near the event, force a mass evacuation, and steer crowds toward a pre-staged sniper team,” as reported by Fox News.
A second wave of attackers was then supposed to storm the White House’s front gate.
According to FBI Director Kash Patel, the agency first became aware of the plot on June 10.
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
The first arrest was made in Cincinnati, where one suspect was reportedly taken into custody.
“Investigators later uncovered Signal chats in which multiple people allegedly discussed attacking the UFC event,” Fox News notes. “An initial review of one suspect’s iPhone identified at least 23 Signal users discussing pre-operational activity.”
Alvarez reportedly used the nickname “Shepard” in the group chats. He was “responsible for planning, organizing, and directing the planned attack,” according to a Department of Justice press release.
“As many and as deadly as we can get,” he wrote in the chat when asked by another terrorist about building explosive-packed drones.
“This illegal alien from Mexico should never have been allowed in our country,” DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis told Fox News regarding Alvarez. “He was the ringleader of a failed terror attack targeting UFC Freedom 250 at the White House. He will face justice and swiftly be removed from our country.”
Some of the attackers reportedly planned to travel to Fredericksburg, Virginia, ahead of the June 14 fight to prepare for the actual attack.
One of the suspects told the feds that their goal was to target “capitalist elites,” “billionaires,” and politicians who’d received donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
FBI Director Patel thanked the FBI, Department of Justice, and law partners across 12 field offices for acting quickly to thwart this latest threat.
“Thanks to the rapid action of this FBI, our partners, and the Department of Justice in a multi-state operation, multiple individuals are now in custody, and allegedly planned attacks were stopped cold,” he wrote. “While the result represented the best of investigative work, it was also nothing out of the ordinary for this law enforcement team.”
“We are built to detect, respond to, and bring to justice those who threaten the lives of American citizens — particularly during large gatherings like the historic UFC 250 fight. That’s exactly what we did here,” he added.
If convicted, each terrorist, including Alvarez, faces up to life in prison, in addition to a $250,000 fine.
“Planning to carry out violence on White House grounds carries an additional maximum penalty of five years in prison,” according to Fox News.
“The FBI, our law enforcement partners and our U.S. Attorneys did what they do every day to make America Safe through quick response and vigilance in investigating, disrupting and dismantling this alleged plan before it could be carried out,” Acting Attorney General Todd said. “We will take immediate and aggressive action to identify and prosecute those who incite and plan acts of violence.”
Vice President JD Vance noted on Tuesday that the plot was “not that advanced.”
“There was a lot of security there. And it turns out the plot was like, not that advanced. They weren’t in town,” he told Fox News. “They had not really done that much planning. And so, I get why people are so fascinated by it.”
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V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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