OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — An Omaha man is in federal custody after authorities say he led a group that planned to fly explosive drones into a UFC event on the White House lawn, then shoot people as they fled.
Abraham Alvarez was arrested in Omaha. Court documents describe him as the leader of the group that discussed the plot targeting the event held over the weekend at the White House.
The FBI began investigating last week after receiving a tip that led agents across the country to Alvarez in Nebraska.
We learned Alvarez owned a church in the small village of Western, Nebraska, in Saline County. He purchased it for $5,000 in July 2023 and allegedly offered it online as a fallback rendezvous point following the planned attack according to the affidavit.
A neighbor in the village of Western, whose identity is being concealed due to safety concerns, said they saw law enforcement enter the church Sunday night around 9 p.m., after noticing an increase in police presence around town during the day.
The neighbor said the thought that something like this could have had an impact in their town was terrifying.
"Not only did the FBI protect numerous lives that night in Washington D.C., but they ultimately took care of our little community here, just this little dot on the map in the middle of the United States," the neighbor said.
Court documents show it was a mother's concern that tipped off agents. She called law enforcement after becoming worried about her 19-year-old's recent purchase of weapons and ammunition and his online communications.
Screenshots agents found on his phone show messages about positioning and movement, as well as images showing another suspect conducting tactical training in a remote area.
The Secret Service said the investigation is not over.
"There are still suspects at large, and we're going to work it until everyone's been identified," the Secret Service said.
The Omaha FBI office worked the case against Alvarez with the help of several other local agencies.
Senator Pete Ricketts weighed in on Alvarez's involvement.
"I gotta tell you I was not especially surprised given that when we've seen some of these tragedies in the past they come from all across the country," Ricketts said. "...violence of any sort is never going to be acceptable here in our civil society."
Alvarez is due in federal court in Lincoln on June 24. If found guilty, he and others involved could face life in prison.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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