An 18-year-old Idaho man was arrested on Saturday and accused of plotting to kill members of a church in his hometown in the name of ISIS, according to documents unsealed Monday.
Court records showed that Alexander Mercurio has been charged with providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization.
Investigators have alleged that Mercurio was planning on attacking at least one church in his town of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, on April 7 with guns, knives, and flammable chemicals.
However, before his alleged plot could unfold, investigators were able to step in and stop him from acting.
According to the documents, Mercurio is accused of writing to an unnamed FBI source that he was going to “stop close by the church, equip the weapon(s) and storm the temple, killing as many people as possible,” CBS News reported.
Prosecutors said his plan included attacking his father with a metal pipe, stealing his guns, and then using them in the attack.
On April 3, the FBI informant who had been in contact with him filmed Mercurio declaring his allegiance to ISIS, CBS News reported.
Two days later, Mercurio allegedly told the informant he couldn’t delay, and the day before the alleged planned attack, the FBI executed a search warrant at his family’s home and arrested him on Saturday.
Attorney General Merrick Garland shared a statement on Monday announcing Mercurio’s arrest, sharing that the FBI moved in on Mercurio just in time to prevent his attack.
“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,” Garland said in the statement. “Thanks to the investigative efforts of the FBI, the defendant was taken into custody before he could act.”
Investigators said that his goal was to carry out an act of martyrdom before Ramadan — the holy month of the Islam faith — came to an end. He was also allegedly hoping to pledge his allegiance to the leader of ISIS, CBS News reported.
“I am going to perform a martyrdom operation very soon,” he allegedly wrote in one recent message. “The targets will be the various churches in my town.”
Prosecutors have painted a picture of his alleged terrorist involvement, which they say began in 2022 and involved several interactions with others who felt the same as him in a terror-affiliated group chat.
An attorney for the defendant has not been identified at this time.