Idaho man pleads guilty to attempting to help ISIS terrorist group
An Idaho man accused of planning attacks on Coeur d’Alene churches and pledging his allegiance to a foreign terrorist organization has pleaded guilty to a federal felony charge of attempting to aid the group.
Twenty-year-old Alexander Scott Mercurio, of Coeur d’Alene, pleaded guilty Wednesday to a felony charge of attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho.
Mercurio is scheduled for sentencing in January 2026. The charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
Officials said Mercurio created an “online repository” of images in support of the Islamic State group, also known as IS or ISIS, in 2023 in hopes of spreading the organization’s ideology. The news release said the Idaho man hoped to travel overseas to support the terrorist organization but was not financially able to do so.
Instead, officials said, Mercurio planned domestic terror attacks on churches in Coeur d’Alene. His planned to use “various weapons” to attack the churches on April 7, 2024, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said, and he purchased items for the planned attacks. Mercurio also took a photo holding a knife in front of an Islamic State group flag and “pledged his allegiance” to the terrorist group, according to the news release.
The FBI arrested Mercurio the day before his planned attacks.
