A Chicago man has become the latest person charged in connection with the alleged plot to attack UFC Freedom 250, a federal investigation that has now caught eight individuals.
Alexander Iniguez Mercado, 20, was arrested Thursday and charged with obstruction of justice after prosecutors say he deleted the Signal messaging app from his phone the day before the June 15 event — causing potentially critical evidence to become unavailable — after an FBI agent called him and asked whether he had plans to travel to Washington D.C. to participate in the plotted attack. Mercado, who allegedly served as an administrator and member of Signal groups used by members of the network to communicate about planning the attack, denied such plans and reportedly told the agent he did not want to meet, then uninstalled the Signal application on his phone. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison if convicted.
The original five defendants — Tycen Proper, Bryan Omar Roa, Michael Alan Thomas, Daniel Eskridge and Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez — were charged two days after UFC Freedom 250, with most accused of gathering weapons and scouting shooting positions around Washington D.C.
Two further arrests followed with William Falkner accused of conspiring to deploy explosive-laden drones over the venue and Jordan Rincker alleged to have possessed materials and agreed to produce the devices. Authorities believe approximately 23 people were involved in the plot in total.