Idaho Man Gets 18 Years for ISIS-Inspired Plot to Attack Churches

An Idaho man who planned to attack churches in Coeur d’Alene in the name of ISIS has been sentenced to 18 years in federal prison, the Justice Department announced. Alexander Scott Mercurio, 21, of Coeur d’Alene, was also ordered to serve lifetime supervised release by U.S. District Judge David C. Nye of the District of Idaho, according to the department.

The FBI said in a post on X on Thursday that the sentence followed an investigation by its Joint Terrorism Task Force and law enforcement partners. Mercurio was sentenced Tuesday for attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, according to the Justice Department.

Following an investigation from the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and our law enforcement partners, Alexander Scott Mercurio of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, was sentenced to 18 years in prison and lifetime supervised release for attempting to provide material support and resources to… pic.twitter.com/h84BNHshuY

— FBI (@FBI) November 12, 2026

The Plot

According to court records cited by the Justice Department, Mercurio planned to incapacitate his father with a metal pipe and take his father’s firearms to use in a mass casualty attack on Idaho churches in the name of ISIS. The department said he also planned to use flame-covered weapons, explosives, knives and a machete.

A search of his house turned up butane canisters, lighters, a pair of handcuffs, a knife, a machete and several firearms belonging to his father, the Justice Department said. Days before the planned attack, Mercurio stood before an ISIS flag holding a knife and pledged his allegiance to the terror group, according to the department.

The FBI arrested him on April 6, 2024, one day before the planned April 7 attack, according to the Coeur d’Alene Press and the Idaho Press, citing federal prosecutors.

The Justice Department said that in early 2023, Mercurio created an online repository for pro-ISIS content to spread the group’s doctrine. “Although Mercurio desired to travel overseas to support ISIS, he lacked resources,” the department’s release said, according to the Coeur d’Alene Press. “He then made plans to conduct a terrorist attack within the United States.”

‘Relentlessly Investigate’

“Alexander Scott Mercurio planned to attack that fundamental freedom by bringing death and destruction to several churches,” Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for National Security M. Scott Proctor said in a statement released by the Justice Department. “This sentence shows that the Department of Justice will relentlessly investigate, pursue, and prosecute those who would terrorize and murder Americans for exercising their religious rights.”

“The sentencing of Mercurio today sends the clear message that where individuals intend to pursue acts of terrorism against the United States – whether in Coeur d’Alene, or any other community – they will be brought to justice,” U.S. Attorney John C. Shirts for the District of Idaho said, according to the department.

“This case should serve as an eye-opener to the dangers of self-radicalization, which is a real threat in our communities,” Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls of the FBI’s Salt Lake City field office said in a release, according to the Idaho Press.

The Justice Department said the Coeur d’Alene Police Department, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office and the Ada County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the case. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Heather S. Patricco and David G. Robins and by a trial attorney from the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, according to the department.

Sources

• FBI on X
• U.S. Department of Justice
• Coeur d’Alene Press
• Idaho Press
• The Spokesman-Review

Compiled from FBI.