Who is Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez? Mexican national accused of leading White House UFC Freedom 250 terror plot
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has identified Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez as the man behind foiled terrorist plot UFC Freedom 250 He said at the White House that he was a Mexican national who overstayed his visa before receiving protection under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
Days earlier, federal authorities charged five people in connection with a mass-casualty attack plot that was foiled before the June 14 incident.
Here’s what authorities have said so far about Alvarez and the case.
Who is Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez?
According to a June 18 press release from the Department of Homeland Security, Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez is a Mexican citizen who passed B2 visitor visa But it remained in the country after it expired in December 2001.
The department said Alvarez was granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status by the Obama administration in 2014. DACA is an immigration program that provides temporary protection from deportation and work authorization to certain undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as children and meet eligibility requirements.
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The Department of Homeland Security said Alvarez was the ringleader of the attempted attack. The charges were brought by federal authorities and have not been proven in court.
What are the charges against him?
According to the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice (DOJ), FBI Alvarez was arrested in Omaha, Nebraska, on June 14, the same day UFC Freedom 250 took place at the White House.
Four other suspects were arrested in Ohio, Missouri and California.
Federal prosecutors charged Alvarez and four co-defendants with conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to commit violence at the White House.
The Department of Homeland Security said the FBI believed Alvarez, who allegedly used the alias “Shepard,” planned, organized and directed the operation.
Investigators said he outlined the attack in an encrypted group chat, discussing the use of “counter-snipers and drones” with the stated goal of being “as lethal as possible,” according to the department.
The charges remain part of an ongoing criminal case and Alvarez has not yet been convicted of the charges.
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What did the Department of Homeland Security say?
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has taken Alvarez into custody, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.
“This illegal immigrant from Mexico should never have been allowed into our country. He was the ringleader of the attempted terrorist attack on the White House at UFC Freedom 250,” Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said.
She added that Alvarez and his alleged co-conspirators “now face charges of conspiring to commit murder and conspiring to commit violence at the White House” and that he “will face justice and be swiftly removed from our country.”
The criminal case against Alvarez and four other defendants will be heard in federal court. If convicted, they could face stiff sentences on conspiracy charges. ICE has filed an immigration detainer against Alvarez, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Any deportation proceedings will occur after the criminal case is resolved.
