Eighth Suspect Charged in Plot to Attack President Trump’s White House UFC Event

The Justice Department announced another arrest this week in the case surrounding an alleged plot to launch a violent attack on the Ultimate Fighting Championship event at President Trump’s White House.

On June 26, 2026, the DOJ said Alexander Iniguez Mercado, 20, of Chicago, was arrested and charged with obstruction of justice in connection with the planned attack on the Freedom 250 UFC event.

An indictment was returned Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Mercado is the eighth person charged so far. Seven other individuals from multiple states had already been charged in connection with the alleged plot.

Chicago Man Arrested in Connection With Planned Violent Attack at Ultimate Fighting Championship Event at White House @FBIChicago @SecretService https://t.co/qvxvC5G9MR

— U.S. Attorney’s Office (NDIL) (@NDILnews) June 26, 2026

According to the Justice Department, prosecutors allege Mercado was an administrator and member of Signal messaging groups that included people communicating about planning a violent attack on the White House UFC event.

The DOJ says an FBI agent called Mercado the day before the event to discuss online threats and to ask whether he planned to travel to Washington, D.C. Mercado allegedly denied any plans and then stopped responding to follow-up calls from investigators.

Prosecutors say agents later learned he had uninstalled the Signal app from his phone, deleting data tied to the group’s messages.

That alleged cleanup is the basis for the obstruction charge. The official DOJ release also makes clear this was not an isolated charge in a vacuum: seven other people from multiple states had already been charged in connection with the alleged plot.

ABC7 Chicago reports Mercado was arrested Thursday and appeared in federal court the following day.

The station reported he pleaded not guilty at his initial appearance and arraignment. Prosecutors asked the court to keep him in custody, meaning the first courtroom fight is already about whether he should remain behind bars while the case proceeds.

ABC7 also laid out the timeline at the center of the obstruction allegation: FBI contact on June 13, one day before the White House event, followed by the alleged Signal deletion after the call.

That timing is why the obstruction count matters. The government says Mercado talked in a group chat, then wiped the app after federal agents came looking for answers.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports Mercado faces up to two decades in prison if convicted on the obstruction charge.

The outlet identifies him by full name as Alexander Iniguez Mercado, 20, and notes the grand jury indictment was made public Friday. It also tied the alleged target to the UFC event held at the White House on President Trump’s birthday.

The Sun-Times account is useful because it shows the charge is narrow but serious. Mercado is not being presented here as the alleged mastermind; he is accused of obstructing investigators by deleting the encrypted app tied to the planning channel.

🚨BREAKING: Chicago man charged with obstruction of justice in connection to White House UFC attack plot

A 20-year-old Chicago man has been arrested in connection with a thwarted violent plot targeting the Freedom 250 Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event at the White… pic.twitter.com/kfVEpdyiEO

— Alexandra Koch (@alexandrankoch) June 26, 2026

Mercado has pleaded not guilty, and the charge against him is an allegation that prosecutors must prove in court.

What the case shows is that the FBI and Secret Service were watching the chatter, made contact before the event, and kept building the file after it ended.

Eight charged suspects later, the message from federal law enforcement is plain. Threats aimed at the President and the people around him get tracked, charged, and pursued, deleted apps or not.

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at 100 Percent Fed Up. View the original article here.