Idaho teen arrested over plan to kill churchgoers in ISIS-inspired attack
An Idaho teenager was arrested and accused of planning to kill churchgoers during services across his hometown in the name of the Islamic State group, authorities have said.
An Idaho teenager was arrested and accused of planning to kill churchgoers during services across his hometown in the name of the Islamic State group, authorities have said.
Alexander Scott Mercurio, 18, from Coeur d’Alene, was arrested early Saturday as part of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force investigation, a day before prosecutors say he planned to carry out his attack.
He is accused of "attempting to provide material support and resources to ISIS," according to a federal criminal complaint filed in Idaho on Monday.
The FBI said he was actively planning to attack churches Sunday in Coeur d'Alene, a town 30 miles east of Spokane, using "weapons, including knives, firearms, and fire," a statement said. The attack was timed to coincide with the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, investigators said.
According to a direct message sent to an FBI "confidential human source," quoted in a lengthy affidavit attached to the criminal complaint, Mercurio set out his plan in detail.
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