COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – An 18-year-old man accused of trying to provide information to ISIS to coordinate church attacks in Coeur d’Alene pleaded guilty Wednesday morning in federal court.
Federal prosecutors charged Alexander Mercurio with hatching a plot and communicating online with what he thought was ISIS.
He was actually communicating with a government confidential source.
Federal prosecutors say he told the source he wanted to travel overseas to support ISIS, but didn’t have the money and was going to carry out a “home op” instead.
They say he planned to attack churches with fire, a metal pipe and a knife.
Court records show the communication began in 2022 and escalated with the plans to attack the church in early 2024.
“The Defendant knowingly took substantial steps to provide material support or resources, that is himself as personnel, to the Islamic State (ISIS),” the change of plea document reads. “Defendant knew that ISIS was a terrorist organization, and that ISIS had engaged or was engaging in terrorist activity or terrorism.”
Mercurio was scheduled to stand trial in March 2026, but signaled his intent to plead guilty in late August.
He pleaded guilty Wednesday morning in Coeur d’Alene to one count of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
His sentencing date has not yet been set.
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