Man pleads guilty to planning ISIS attacks on Idaho churches
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COEUR D’ALENE — A 20-year-old Coeur d’Alene man has pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization after federal investigators uncovered his plans to carry out an ISIS-inspired attack in northern Idaho.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Alexander Scott Mercurio admitted that he pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS) and intended to commit an attack in Coeur d’Alene on the group’s behalf.
Court documents show that in early 2023, Mercurio created an online repository to distribute pro-ISIS content in an effort to spread the group’s ideology. Although he initially sought to travel overseas to join ISIS, prosecutors said he lacked the means to do so and instead turned his focus to staging an attack within the United States.
Investigators said Mercurio planned to target several Coeur d’Alene churches on April 7, 2024, using various weapons. He allegedly purchased items to support the attack and, days before the planned assault, posed in front of an ISIS flag while holding a knife and pledging allegiance to the terrorist organization.
The FBI arrested Mercurio on April 6, 2024 — one day before the alleged plot was set to occur.
Sentencing is scheduled for January 27, 2026, before Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye. Mercurio faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis praised the FBI’s work on the case, with assistance from the Coeur d’Alene Police Department, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office, and the Ada County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Heather S. Patricco and David G. Robins, along with attorneys from the Justice Department’s National Security Division, are prosecuting the case.