An 18-year-old from Idaho stands accused of plotting a violent spree targeting local churches after declaring allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) group.
Alexander Mercurio was apprehended on Saturday, just a day before prosecutors claim he planned to assault churches using firearms, incendiary weapons, explosives, knives, and a pipe.
According to the justice department, his intention was to systematically attack multiple churches until meeting his demise.
Facing potential consequences of up to 20 years in prison, Mercurio is charged with attempting to furnish material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization.
“The defendant swore an oath of loyalty to ISIS and planned to wage an attack in its name on churches in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho,” US Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement, using a common name for the Islamic State group.
In messages attributed to Mr. Mercurio earlier this year, he detailed a scheme to maximize casualties at the nearest church. Subsequently, he proposed a repetitive cycle of such attacks on adjacent churches, setting them ablaze in succession until met with lethal force.
As part of the alleged plan, he planned to incapacitate and restrain his father to access firearms stored in a secured closet within the family residence.
Mercurio’s arrest followed his disclosure of these intentions to an undisclosed FBI informant, as outlined in the criminal complaint against him.
According to the complaint, Mr. Mercurio had been on the FBI’s radar under an online pseudonym since July 2022. His ideological evolution occurred within an online group conversation, as evidenced by the messages detailed in court filings.
Initially, the teenager voiced nascent interest in Islamic fundamentalism and the Islamic State (IS), a designated terrorist organization by the US. He also expressed frustration with his parents’ perceived lack of understanding regarding his religious convictions.
However, his communications within the chat soon shifted to discussing plans to financially support IS and orchestrate an attack within the US if he could not join the group in Africa or the Middle East, investigators allege.
Following a search warrant executed by the FBI at Mr. Mercurio’s family residence on Saturday, items such as a pipe, butane, hand sanitizer, a machete, and firearms retrieved from his father’s closet were seized.
The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security had issued a bulletin cautioning Americans about potential threats to public gatherings in the US. This alert came in the wake of an assault on a concert hall in Moscow that resulted in over 100 fatalities, a responsibility claimed by IS.