Related videos:
A federal grand jury in Columbus, Ohio, filed formal charges on Friday against eight men for conspiring to attack the event UFC Freedom 250, held on June 14 in the South Lawn of the White House in celebration of the 80th birthday of President Donald Trump.
The accusation, as reported by AP via Telemundo, charges the eight individuals in two separate conspiracies: one for providing material support to terrorists, punishable by up to 15 years in prison, and another for conspiracy to commit murder on federal land, which may carry a life sentence.
The plan, according to court documents, included three phases: launching drones loaded with explosives to trigger a mass evacuation, deploying snipers to shoot at attendees fleeing in panic, and finally attempting to storm the White House.
Among the alleged targets were Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamín Netanyahu -who ultimately did not attend the event-, mogul Elon Musk, and other "high-value targets," according to the federal indictment.
The accusation identifies Abraham Hermosillo Álvarez, a 32-year-old Mexican citizen and DACA program beneficiary residing in Omaha, Nebraska, as the alleged mastermind of the plot, operating under the alias "Shepherd."
According to court documents, Hermosillo Álvarez identified positions for snipers and drone launch points through messages sent via the Signal app.
The FBI tracked him down through his TikTok username and arrested him on June 14 at the apartment he shared with his wife in Omaha, after he returned from a swimming pool.
During the house search, the agents found a drone, a shotgun, 50 cartridges, and a flamethrower.
The defense attorney, Stu Dornan, argued that his client attempted to cancel the attack two days prior to the scheduled date and never purchased transportation tickets to travel. The prosecution countered this argument by pointing out that the alleged cancellation occurred after the arrest of a co-defendant in Ohio.
The eighth accused, Chandler D. Scaggs, 21 years old, originally from Chapmanville, West Virginia, was arrested this week and is believed to have been designated as one of the snipers in the operation.
The other six defendants are: Tycen C. Proper (19 years old, Danville, Ohio), Daniel K. Eskridge (32, Hamilton, Missouri), William L.S. Falkner (21, Belfair, Washington), Jordan W. Rincker (28, St. Joseph, Missouri), Bryan O. Roa (25, Calimesa, California) and Michael A. Thomas (32, Pinon Hills, California).
The plot began in May when the group started gathering money, firearms, ammunition, bulletproof vests, explosives, drones, and medical supplies.
The authorities became aware of the threat on June 10, four days prior to the event, which gathered more than 4,000 guests, including at least 1,200 active-duty military personnel.
The group communicated through Signal, Discord, TikTok, SimpleX, and Instagram, and categorized its members by levels: those at level 1 committed to "putting themselves in danger, breaking the law, and possibly going underground," according to the accusation.
The formal accusation aims to consolidate into a single process in Ohio the cases that the Department of Justice had initially distributed across various districts in the country, including Missouri, Washington, Nebraska, and California.
Federal Prosecutor Don Kleine was emphatic in the hearing before Judge Jacqueline DeLuca: "The reason the disaster did not occur is that the FBI was able to prevent it."
Filed under: