A federal magistrate ordered a Chicago man held in jail after prosecutors argued he posed a “credible threat” to national security ahead of the Fourth of July weekend, citing allegations tied to an alleged plot involving the UFC event at the White House.
A federal prosecutor urged a judge Tuesday to keep a Chicago man in jail. saying the government faced a “credible threat” to national security just days before the Fourth of July. The detention request centered on allegations that Alexander Iniguez Mercado. 20. played some role in an alleged plot connected to the UFC event held at the White House on June 14.
A full picture of Mercado’s alleged role has not emerged. and prosecutors argued that is partly because of what they say he did with his phone. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elly Moheb said Mercado deleted the messaging application Signal from his device. an act prosecutors framed as obstruction of justice.
Mercado’s defense attorney. Johanathan Brooks. did not dispute that Mercado deleted Signal but portrayed it as something else: a failed attempt to undo damage to messages. Brooks told the judge that Mercado has spoken with the FBI three times. He said Mercado tried to re-install Signal in an unsuccessful effort to recover messages that were destroyed when he deleted the encrypted app.
Brooks also pushed back on the idea that Mercado was part of any attack. He told the court that Mercado is a LARPer—“live action role play”—and that he was “not interested in any sort of plot” on the event held June 14, on President Donald Trump’s birthday.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Gabriel Fuentes concluded that the allegations against Mercado were serious enough for him to remain in custody. The judge said he expected Mercado might ask to be released into his mother’s custody. but prosecutors pointed to allegations that Mercado struck his mother in the head five times last fall. Moheb said the incident led to a battery case that has since been dismissed.
In discussing Mercado’s LARPer explanation. Fuentes described the argument as “very interesting. thought provoking and intriguing. ” but said it “did not reduce the risk enough for me as the judicial officer on a detention motion so that I could be allowed to find that the government had fallen short of its clear-and-convincing evidence burden.”.
Moheb told the judge prosecutors have data showing Mercado deleted Signal from his phone “within minutes” of a June 13 call from an FBI special agent. Mercado allegedly told authorities he uninstalled the app later, at his mother’s direction.
Fuentes said the timing of the deletion “does suggest a level of dishonesty.”
During a two-hour detention hearing at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse. prosecutors laid out additional allegations tied to the alleged plot around the UFC event. Moheb said Mercado “recruited other individuals” into a Signal messaging group and would “vet” them to determine whether they should be allowed in. Prosecutors also said Mercado told someone that “peace is not an option.”.
The hearing also turned to language Mercado allegedly used online. Moheb told the judge that on March 1. when someone mentioned having a sniper rifle and asked for targets. Mercado allegedly wrote. “I do have some people in mind. Look, I just need you to be patient until the time is right. But we can make history.”.
Brooks argued that such statements were not evidence of real intent to carry out an attack. He told the judge the material was “essentially something you could read in a Tom Clancy novel. ” and called it “not real.” Brooks said the Signal group was about “survivalism. ” and said there was “no indication that Mr. Mercado had joined in on this plan.”.
Brooks added that Mercado told the FBI “everything he knows.”
Federal prosecutors have charged at least seven other people in connection with the alleged plot to attack the UFC event. Justice Department officials have claimed the plan involved deploying drones armed with explosives into the event to force an evacuation. with snipers then opening fire on “high value targets.”.
Moheb told the judge the government believes Mercado could contribute to a “credible threat” because many people involved in the planning are still at large with the Fourth of July approaching. “The government believes that the defendant can contribute to that credible threat,” Moheb said.
The indictment against Mercado, made public last week, does not allege that he participated in the planning, prosecutors said. Instead. it says the FBI “obtained information” that Mercado was a “member and an administrator” of Signal messaging groups where people “appeared to communicate with others” about the attack.
On June 13. the indictment says. an FBI special agent called Mercado “to discuss threats made online” about the event and asked whether he planned to travel to Washington. D.C. to help with the attack. Mercado allegedly denied it and said he did not want to meet with the agent. The indictment says, “After a brief conversation,” the call was disconnected.
The FBI agent allegedly tried to contact Mercado again to set up an interview, the indictment says, but Mercado “did not initially respond.”
The indictment further accuses Mercado of uninstalling Signal from his phone between June 13 and June 14—the day of the UFC event. Prosecutors said uninstalling the app deletes the user’s messages, according to the indictment.
For now, the judge’s decision means Mercado will remain in custody, as the government argues the alleged online activity and phone deletion continue to matter in a threat landscape that prosecutors say extends beyond the day of the event.
Alexander Iniguez Mercado Chicago man UFC event White House Signal messaging app Fourth of July threat obstruction of justice FBI special agent Dirksen Federal Courthouse Gabriel Fuentes Elly Moheb