Chicago man accused of running Signal group used to plan alleged UFC White House attack plot
A 20-year-old Chicago man was arrested in connection with an alleged plot to attack the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House earlier this month.
According to an indictment from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, 20-year-old Alexander Iniguez Mercado was arrested after investigators say he was the administrator and member of Signal messaging groups, including "members who appeared to communicate with others regarding the planning of a violent attack targeting the UFC event at the White House in Washington, D.C., on June 14, 2026."
He was arrested on Thursday, and the DOJ said Mercado was charged with obstruction of justice.
Mercado appeared in federal court in Chicago Friday afternoon before Judge Gabriel Fuentes with restraints around his ankles. He was shaking through most of the hearing and cried shortly after pleading not guilty. But the issue of whether or not he will be detained was not decided; he will have a separate detention hearing next week.
The day before the UFC event, an FBI Special Agent called Mercado to discuss the online threats against the event. Mercado allegedly denied any plans to travel to Washington and reused to meet with the agents. Then, prosecutors said, he uninstalled the Signal app on his phone, which deleted the data related to those messages.
Prosecutors said that as the administrator of the group, Mercado was recruiting others and when he was contacted by the FBI he reached out to other members of the group, including one high-ranking member who remains at large.
The obstruction of justice charge carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison.
"Obstructing justice in a law enforcement investigation into a planned violent domestic attack is a profoundly serious offense," U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Boutros said.
The Justice Department says organizers of the attack intended to fly drones over the UFC fight's audience, detonating explosives above, and then shooting the crowd as they tried to escape.
"It was unique due to the numbers involved, the level of planning involved," said Matt Quinn, deputy director of the U.S. Secret Service.
Mercado's attorney said this was "not a group about terrorism, not about the White House." He said it was a group about survivalism, camping and other similar activities, and said that based on his reading of the indictment his client "freaked and then deleted the Signal app."
Mercado was arrested on a domestic battery charge last year, but prosecutors said those charges were dropped soon after they were brought.
The Department of Justice said seven other people across multiple states have been charged in connection with the planning of the attack. According to the charges, Tycen C. Proper, 19, of Danville, Ohio; Bryan Omar Roa, 24, of Calimesa, California; Michael Alan Thomas, 32, of Pinon Hills, California; Daniel K. Eskridge, 32, of Kidder, Missouri; and Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, 31, of Omaha, Nebraska, conspired to plan and execute a mass casualty event.
Court records released last week detail the alleged plot to use small drones carrying explosives and snipers to target senior government officials and wealthy attendees.
The White House hosted the UFC fight series on Sunday — President Trump's 80th birthday — as part of the celebrations of the nation's 250th anniversary. Thousands turned out to watch the fights on the White House South Lawn, where Mr. Trump sat in the front row.
