The Ultimate Fighting Championship ring on the South Lawn of the White House on Thursday, June 11, 2026. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)
Men are facing charges in a foiled domestic terrorist attack planned for Sunday’s Ultimate Fighting Championship match on the White House lawn that targeted a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates and the state’s entire congressional delegation, court documents show.
State Delegate Tristin Leavitt, R-Kanawha, as well as U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito and Jim Justice, Representatives Carol Miller and Riley Moore — all Republicans who represent West Virginia — were among a list of government officials targeted “due to their support for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee,” the criminal complaint against Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez says.
Alvarez, 31, of Omaha, Nebraska, is one of five men arrested and charged with conspiring to attack and kill government officials and other participants at Sunday’s Ultimate Fighting Championship Freedom 250 event at the White House.
According to the FBI, the five planned to utilize drones armed with explosives to force an evacuation of the event and then planned to utilize snipers to shoot at “high-value targets” in the crowd.
The FBI made arrests over the weekend in Ohio, Missouri, Nebraska and California, according to a news release from the agency.
Also charged were Tycen C. Proper, 19, of Danville, Ohio; Bryan Omar Roa, 24, of Calimesa, California; Michael Alan Thomas, 32, of Pinon Hills, Calif.; and Daniel K. Eskridge, 32, of Kidder, Missouri.
In the FBI press releaseDirector Kash Patel said law enforcement learned of the terrorist attack on June 10 and thanks to the “swift actions” of the FBI and its partners, the planned attacks were “stopped cold.”
“While the result represented the best of investigative work, it was also nothing out of the ordinary for this law enforcement team – we are designed to locate, respond and bring to justice those who threaten the lives of American citizens – especially at large gatherings like the historic UFC 250 fight,” Patel said in the statement. “That’s exactly what we’ve done here. I want to thank our great agents and partners, this work continues and we will continue to keep the public informed as the situation allows.”
Leavitt told West Virginia Watch on Wednesday that he learned from a reporter that he had been targeted as he drove back from an interim session of the Legislature in Canaan Valley, West Virginia, on Tuesday.
“I find it sad that the political dialogue has become so heated on a number of issues that people feel they have to resort to violence to spark a revolution,” Leavitt said. “I think some of the different issues seem to be motivating the conspirators, like Israel in particular, apparently, but also the fear that data centers everywhere are consuming all the water, or that there was a huge (Jeffrey) Epstein conspiracy. The fact that a group of individuals would feel like they had to go and commit an act of mass violence is just a very sad commentary on where our society is at right now.”
Leavitt posted On the social media platform
Leavitt said he did not attend the UFC event at the White House. He noted that he traveled to Israel in November 2025 with the support of the American Israel Education Fund and posted about it on his social media accounts. He suspects that this may have allowed the conspirators to know about his support for Israel.
“I have always been someone who likes to do my own research or first-hand facts when given the opportunity,” Leavitt said. “And it was just a few weeks after the ceasefire with Gaza. I was there eight or nine days and I really learned a lot. I had a wonderful experience.”
Leavitt said people having more personal conversations with others about arduous topics would support lower the temperature of political conversations and reduce political violence.
“I would just like to see more constructive dialogue,” he said. “I know people need to be heard – that’s an critical part of it, but I just think it’s so critical to emphasize that violence is never the answer.
“A lot of times it feels like some of these issues and challenges are far away from us, and when I visit D.C., thank God I live in West Virginia, but we still see a lot of heated temperatures here sometimes on different issues. I just think it’s really important to encourage people to be willing to talk to each other again, to talk to people across political or issue lines, and to realize that we’re all just trying to make our state better.”
Representatives for Capito, Moore and Justice said none of them attended the UFC fight. A spokesman for Miller did not immediately respond to questions from West Virginia Watch.
In separate statements, members of West Virginia’s congressional delegation thanked the FBI and Patel and law enforcement for stopping the planned attack.
“These are scary times, and that is concerning,” Capito said in the statement. “I am grateful to the FBI and our law enforcement partners for their professionalism, commitment and diligence to prevent attacks on elected officials or events.”
“Learning that members of Congress, including me, are among the targets of this conspiracy should not be tolerated,” Justice said in the statement. What I do know is that I am incredibly grateful to the brave people working strenuous behind the scenes. They risked their own lives to protect me and thousands of others, and I will not forget it. There is no place for violence in this great country – period. It is a relief that our authorities have identified the individuals who planned this evil act and are immediately arresting and charging them.”
Moore Posted on X that he was “forever grateful” to the FBI and Capitol Police for their quick action to keep people safe and sound.
“I also pray for the perpetrators of this terrible conspiracy. May they be converted in heart, repent and find salvation in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace,” he wrote.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
