Coeur d'Alene man gets 18 years for plan to attack local churches

A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced Alexander Scott Mercurio of Coeur d'Alene to 18 years in prison for planning an attack on churches in Coeur d'Alene in the name of ISIS, according to the Spokesman-Review, KHQ and the Idaho Press.

Mercurio, 21, pleaded guilty in October to attempting to provide material support to ISIS, which the U.S. government lists as a foreign terrorist organization. U.S. District Judge David Nye handed down the sentence, the Spokesman-Review reported. KHQ and the Idaho Press reported he will be on supervised release for the rest of his life once he is out of prison.

Prosecutors say the plan was set for April 7, 2024. They say Mercurio meant to knock out his father with a metal pipe, take his father's guns and attack churches with explosives, knives, a machete and firearms.

Federal investigators say he had built an online collection of pro-ISIS material starting in early 2023, wanted to travel overseas to join the group but lacked the money, and turned to planning an attack here instead. Days before the planned date, prosecutors say, he pledged allegiance to ISIS while standing in front of its flag holding a knife.

The FBI arrested him on April 6, 2024, one day before the planned attack. A search of his home turned up butane canisters, lighters, handcuffs, a knife, a machete and several of his father's guns, according to prosecutors.

The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force worked the case with the Coeur d'Alene Police Department and the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office, KHQ reported. U.S. Attorney John Shirts said protecting communities is his office's number one priority.

None of the three outlets reported anything Mercurio or his lawyer said in court.