LINCOLN (KMTV) — Omaha resident Abraham Alvarez, who is accused of plotting to attack the White House UFC fight, made his first appearance Monday in federal court in Lincoln.
Prosecutors say that Alvarez was the leader of a group that planned to attack the UFC fight on the White House lawn with drones, and then shoot people as they ran away. He was arrested in Omaha on June 17th.
Stu Dornan, Alvarez's defense attorney, argued that his client never actually physically took part in the plot and withdrew before it came to fruition. He asked the court to release Alvarez back to his family with a electronic monitoring device.
The government, however, argued that there is enough evidence of his involvement to justify keeping him in custody, citing messages exchanged between Alvarez and alleged co-conspirators plotting the attack, as well as the fact that Alvarez had meet one of the other defendants in Omaha before the planned attack and exchanged weapons and tactical gear.
The judge sided with the prosecution, and ordered that Alvarez was to stay in the custody of the United States Marshalls.
"I think he's holding up remarkably well." Dornan told reporters after the proceeding. "You know, he's a young man who has never been convicted of anything, he's got a good job."
For now, Alvarez remains in U.S. Marshall custody. A future court date has not yet been set.
