Alexander Scott Mercurio, 21, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison and lifetime supervised release for trying to provide material support to ISIS after plotting attacks on local churches, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho stated on Tuesday.
FBI agents arrested Mercurio on April 6, 2024, the day before he planned to carry out the attacks, according to prosecutors.
He intended to “incapacitate his father with a metal pipe and take his firearms to use in a mass casualty attack on a church in the name of ISIS,” the Justice Department stated.
The plot involved explosives, firearms, knives and other weapons. Investigators found butane canisters, lighters, handcuffs, a knife and a machete, as well as firearms belonging to his father, in his home, the department said.
Mercurio created an online repository of pro-ISIS material in early 2023 to spread the terror group’s ideology. He wanted to travel overseas to support ISIS but lacked the resources, so he began planning an attack in the United States, prosecutors said.
Days before the planned attack, he stood in front of an ISIS flag holding a knife and “pledged his allegiance” to the group.
“The sentencing of Mercurio today sends the clear message that where individuals intend to pursue acts of terrorism against the United States, whether in Coeur d’Alene or any other community, they will be brought to justice,” stated John Shirts, U.S. attorney for the District of Idaho.
“Protecting our communities from terrorist activity is always the number one priority of this office and the Department of Justice,” he said.
