The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced on Thursday that the alleged 'mastermind' behind a drone attack plot targeting a 'UFC' event at the White House is an undocumented immigrant from Mexico.
The department stated that Abraham Alvarez, 31, entered the United States as a child and overstayed his 'B2' visa expiration in 2001. He later received deportation protection under President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
Alvarez is among five individuals accused of conspiring to target President Donald Trump and senior government officials during a combat sports event held on Sunday evening at the White House South Lawn, attended by thousands of fight enthusiasts.
The charges reveal that the conspirators planned to attack the 'UFC Freedom 250' event utilizing drones equipped with explosives and subsequently target escaping attendees with a team of snipers.
Authorities reported Alvarez was responsible for planning, organizing, and managing the coordinated attack, thwarted by the FBI and local authorities.
Acting Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Lauren Peace told Fox News Digital: 'This undocumented immigrant from Mexico should never have been allowed to remain in our country. He was the mastermind of a failed terrorist attack targeting the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House.'
She added, 'He will face justice and be swiftly deported from our nation.'
Federal investigators are currently examining 23 suspects believed to be connected to this scheme.
If convicted of conspiracy to commit murder, the detainees face life imprisonment and a $250,000 fine, alongside an additional maximum penalty of five years in prison for planning a violent act within the White House grounds.