GDELTWashington D.C.
Goldstein: -8.5Tone: -5.0
Nebraska threat expert weighs in on UFC attack at White House
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – As the Federal Bureau of Investigation continues to look into the planned attack on the White House during Sunday’s UFC fight, Dr. Erin Kearns has been studying counterterrorism for years.
Her research includes what motivates suspects and what the everyday person should be on the lookout for.
She described to Channel 8 her initial reaction to the news of the thwarted attacks.
“I was unfortunately not surprised that a large high-profile event like this would have been the target of a violent plot,” said Kearns.
Prof. Kearns is the director of law enforcement partnerships NCITE; The National Counter Terrorism Innovation Technology.
She says protection at events like Sunday, which was meant to honor the nation’s 250th anniversary, is multi-faceted and complex.
“This is typically going to have stakeholders from different law enforcement agencies, potentially oversight with federal law enforcement, as well as potentially private security, nearby businesses,” said Kearns.
The collaboration is not only meant to protect the event, but also the surrounding areas.
Despite this, individuals like Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, out of Omaha, will try doing so in cahoots with others across the country.
“This is something that is somewhat becoming more common where it is disparate actors who are connecting over the internet, perhaps have never even met each other in real life and are planning to engage in this real-life violence,” said Kearns.
Other trends include the use of unmanned aerial systems, or UAS.
So, how can the everyday person recognize it before it happens?
“One of the things that is so critically important and happened here is that one of the individuals who’s been arrested, his mother actually noticed behavioral changes in him,” said Kearns.
She adds that this is extremely critical during earlier stages.
“No one is expecting that someone’s mother is going to have all of the expertise to get to the bottom of what’s going on, but she did the right thing,” said Kearns.
“She alerted law enforcement who do have that expertise and to be able to look at this more holistically and see that there actually is a plot that was underway and being able to step in and thwart that actual plot.”
If you would like to learn more about the research from Dr. Kearns and her colleague, Dr. Tin Nguyen, you can access it here.
If you would like to access more research from NCITE, you can do so here.
Open article →GDELTNebraska
Goldstein: -7.0Tone: -5.0
Nebraska threat expert weighs in on UFC attack at White House
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – As the Federal Bureau of Investigation continues to look into the planned attack on the White House during Sunday’s UFC fight, Dr. Erin Kearns has been studying counterterrorism for years.
Her research includes what motivates suspects and what the everyday person should be on the lookout for.
She described to Channel 8 her initial reaction to the news of the thwarted attacks.
“I was unfortunately not surprised that a large high-profile event like this would have been the target of a violent plot,” said Kearns.
Prof. Kearns is the director of law enforcement partnerships NCITE; The National Counter Terrorism Innovation Technology.
She says protection at events like Sunday, which was meant to honor the nation’s 250th anniversary, is multi-faceted and complex.
“This is typically going to have stakeholders from different law enforcement agencies, potentially oversight with federal law enforcement, as well as potentially private security, nearby businesses,” said Kearns.
The collaboration is not only meant to protect the event, but also the surrounding areas.
Despite this, individuals like Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, out of Omaha, will try doing so in cahoots with others across the country.
“This is something that is somewhat becoming more common where it is disparate actors who are connecting over the internet, perhaps have never even met each other in real life and are planning to engage in this real-life violence,” said Kearns.
Other trends include the use of unmanned aerial systems, or UAS.
So, how can the everyday person recognize it before it happens?
“One of the things that is so critically important and happened here is that one of the individuals who’s been arrested, his mother actually noticed behavioral changes in him,” said Kearns.
She adds that this is extremely critical during earlier stages.
“No one is expecting that someone’s mother is going to have all of the expertise to get to the bottom of what’s going on, but she did the right thing,” said Kearns.
“She alerted law enforcement who do have that expertise and to be able to look at this more holistically and see that there actually is a plot that was underway and being able to step in and thwart that actual plot.”
If you would like to learn more about the research from Dr. Kearns and her colleague, Dr. Tin Nguyen, you can access it here.
If you would like to access more research from NCITE, you can do so here.
Open article →BBCUnited States
Goldstein: -9.0Tone: -100.0CAMEO 18
Group planned to attack White House UFC event using snipers and drones, FBI says
The FBI thwarted a plot targeting Sunday's UFC event at the White House and has arrested five men, the US justice department said on Tuesday.
Part of the plan involved striking nearby buildings with explosive-laden drones and firing on "high value targets", prosecutors alleged.
One suspect was arrested in Ohio last week, where investigators reviewed encrypted messages involving other alleged conspirators. Prosecutors said in charging documents they had allegedly "expressed ultra-religious and antigovernment sentiments".
"Allegedly planned attacks were stopped cold," FBI Director Kash Patel posted on social media on Tuesday about the "multi-state operation".
The suspects were identified as Tycen C Proper, 19, the suspect arrested in Ohio, along with Bryan Omar Roa, 24, and Michael Alan Thomas, 32, of California, Daniel K Eskridge, 32, of Missouri and Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, 31, of Nebraska. They were arrested across the four US states and each have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a statement.
By using the drones, the plotters aimed to spark panic and draw the fleeing crowd toward a sniper team, according to the court documents. A "second wave" of attackers was then allegedly supposed to storm the White House gate.
An estimated 4,300 people were present for the invite-only event on the South Lawn - and another 85,000 were able to watch nearby - during the back-to-back fights on Sunday.
Court filings related to Alvarez said the group allegedly eyed potential targets that included US President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Elon Musk, as well as several elected officials - though not all attended the UFC event.
The plot was discovered through Proper. His mother called local authorities late on 10 June - just days before the high-profile event - because she was concerned about his large firearms purchases and what she had seen of his online communication with a group that claimed to be made up of former military members and Christian-based.
The group allegedly wanted to "jumpstart" a revolution by shooting "high-value targets" - identified as wealthy people and politicians - attending the UFC fight. They had specifically discussed "grievances about government corruption, the handling of the Epstein files, data centers taking up all the water in communities, and other government actions," prosecutors said.
During an FBI interview on 11 June, Proper admitted to being part of planning the attack and said the group began communicating with one another around March through a TikTok group called "Vanguard of the Old", which is named in some court documents as "Vanguard of the Old Republic".
It is unclear if the group is affiliated with any larger, established organisation. But Proper told law enforcement officials that members were primarily recruited through TikTok.
The DOJ said Alvarez was responsible for planning, organising and directing the planned UFC attack, and that he worked on drones.
The suspects also distributed maps of Washington highlighting planned sniper locations and drone launch points and identifying power grids as potential targets, court documents said.
The BBC has contacted Proper's lawyer.
Each suspect faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 (£186,122) fine if convicted of conspiracy to murder, the DOJ said.
Proper faces three additional charges, according to court filings, including the charge of conspiracy to commit violence on White House grounds, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for 29 June.
On Sunday, as part of the celebration of the nation's 250th anniversary, the White House hosted a series of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) matches in an outdoor arena.
The event coincided with Trump's 80th birthday, and came two months after a shooting at the White House Correspondents Dinner that he attended and one month after a man was killed by Secret Service agents after opening fire at a White House checkpoint.
With additional reporting by Nardine Saad
Follow the twists and turns of Trump's second term with North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher's weekly US Politics Unspun newsletter. Readers in the UK can sign up here. Those outside the UK can sign up here.
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