Two foreign nationals, either on nonimmigrant visas or illegal aliens, were arrested for allegedly plotting a mass shooting at Richmond, Virginia’s, Fourth of July celebration.
On Wednesday, Richmond Police Chief Gerald Smith announced the arrests of 52-year-old Julio Alvardo Dubon and 38-year-old Rolman A. Balacarcel — the two foreign nationals behind an alleged plot to carry out a mass shooting on July 4th.
“Their intent was to conduct a mass shooting at our Fourth of July celebration,” Smith said.
According to Smith, a “hero citizen” called the Richmond Police Department on July 1 to report that he had overheard a man discussing a plan to “shoot up” the city’s Fourth of July celebration.
That is when police raided Dubon’s residence to find two rifles, a handgun, and 223 rounds of ammunition. Dubon was subsequently charged with being in possession of a firearm as an alien to the United States.
After police reached out to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Smith said they put surveillance on Balacarcel who lived at the same residence as Dubon.
Balacarcel was subsequently arrested and charged with being in possession of a firearm as an alien to the U.S. Smith said they still do not have a clear motive as to why the pair allegedly sought to conduct a mass shooting on American citizens on July 4th.
“There is no telling how many citizens this hero citizen saved from one phone call … one phone call saved numerous lives on the Fourth of July,” Smith said.
Breitbart News reached out to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to inquire about Dubon and Balacarcel’s immigration statuses but the agency did not respond at the time of this publication.
Dubon and Balacarcel have been booked into the Richmond City Jail without bail.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.