DHS ID’s Alleged ‘Ringleader’ of Failed Plot Targeting White House UFC Event as Illegal Immigrant

Update June 19, 2026, 7:33 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional info about the suspects; Originally published June 17, 2026 at 10:17 a.m.

The Department of Justice has charged five men with plotting a mass-casualty attack targeting government officials and thousands more gathered for the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House Sunday night.

The Plot

As reported on Wednesday’s AM Update, the investigation remaining ongoing and investigators are now examining a much larger network of potential participants.

According to federal court filings, the plot called for drones carrying explosives to detonate near the north side of the White House grounds, triggering panic and forcing thousands of spectators and government officials to flee south. That is when, investigators allege, a team of snipers would have been waiting to open fire on the escaping crowd.

Federal law-enforcement sources told Fox News and The New York Post that a second wave of attackers then planned to storm the White House gates.

Federal authorities first learned about the plans when a suspect’s mother alerted law enforcement. According to an FBI affidavit, the mother of 19-year-old Ohio suspect Tycen Proper contacted local police on June 10 because she was alarmed by her son’s recent firearm purchases and his communications with people online.

The complaint alleged Proper spent roughly $3,000 of his graduation money on guns, ammunition, magazines, body armor and other equipment, while his father told investigators his son quit his job and planned to meet people he knew from the internet to conduct “missions” and “recon.”

Investigators interviewed Proper on June 11 at a medical facility, where prosecutors allege he admitted to helping plan a coordinated attack against the United States government.

According to a DOJ press release, Proper revealed that members of the group began communicating around March before the more serious participants moved their planning onto encrypted messaging platform Signal. Court filings reviewed by the Associated Press describe encrypted Signal conversations involving roughly 20 participants along with detailed maps, escape routes, and discussion of a safe house.

The Suspects

The FBI arrested Proper along with 32-year-old Michael Alan Thomas and 24-year-old Bryan Omar Roa in California, 31-year-old Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez in Nebraska, and 32-year-old Daniel Eskridge in Missouri. Federal searches allegedly uncovered rifles, handguns, extended magazines, ammunition and tactical equipment at several of the suspects’ homes.

Prosecutors have identified Alvarez as a “ringleader,” accusing him of mapping drone-launch sites and sniper positions around the White House along with an escape route and a safe location where participants could regroup.

As reported on Friday’s AM Update, the Department of Homeland Security has since identified Alvarez as an illegal immigrant from Mexico. DHS told Fox News he came to the United States as a child, remained in the country after his visitor visa expired in 2001, and later received protection from deportation through the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

NewsNation reported Alvarez’s DACA status has been revoked following the arrest and ICE also lodged an immigration detainer against him.

The FBI took Alvarez into custody on the day of the fight at an old church near the town of Western, Nebraska, which he allegedly selected as a safe zone for himself and his co-conspirators, according to local outlet WOWT-TV. Alvarez grinned in his mug shot (above) wearing an orange jail uniform.

According to the charges filed in Nebraska, the FBI identified Alvarez as “Shepherd” in the group’s encrypted chats and accuse him of planning, organizing, and directing the attack. In one message, Alvarez allegedly instructing members where to position sniper and drone teams, pointing out a long-range location he described as a “great shot” with an easy escape toward the river.

When another participant discussed building drones carrying explosives, Alvarez allegedly responded, “As many and as deadly as we can get.” According to prosecutors, he told the group he already had one drone and was working on more.

The New York Post reported investigators believe at least 12 people across the country may have been connected to the alleged plot and more arrests and search warrants are possible. Federal sources had previously told Fox News the suspects in custody are American citizens and no known foreign connection had been found.

All five men are charged with conspiracy to commit murder, which carried a potential sentence of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. A separate conspiracy charge involving violence on White House grounds has a penalty of up to five years in jail.

Behind the Scenes Drama

FBI Director Kash Patel announced the disrupted plot in a post on X Tuesday morning, sharing a screenshot of the Fox News article and writing, “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.”

Patel’s post reportedly triggered a clash between the FBI and Secret Service. Citing three people familiar with the investigation, MS NOW’s Ken Dilanian reported Secret Service officials were furious the BFI director publicly revealed the case while it remained sealed and roughly 10 additional suspects had not yet been taken into custody.

Secret Service Deputy Director Matt Quinn seemed to rebuke Patel without naming him in a Tuesday press conference. “I’ll tell you a phrase I learned early in my career in the New York field office and that’s ‘Don’t choke on your own smoke.’ Anyone that believes that case was worked in a bubble is naive,” he scolded. “I’ll tell you the Secret Service led that investigation from the beginning. I’ll tell you that it’s ongoing. In order to maintain the integrity of the investigation and the security plan, we chose not to leak it.”

Quinn insisted the Secret Service deliberately withheld details to protect the integrity of the investigation and its security operation.

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