Idaho teen faces federal terrorism charge. Prosecutors say he planned to attack a church for ISIS

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John Taylor

Authorities say a teenager planned to attack churches in a northern Idaho city using a metal pipe, butane fuel, a machete and potentially his father’s guns.

The criminal complaint against Alexander Scott Mercurio is photographed on Tuesday, April 9, 2024. Mercurio, 18, is charged with attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State group after prosecutors said he planned to carry out an attack on a Coeur d'Alene church. Mercurio was arrested Saturday, and the charges were unsealed in Idaho's U.S. District Court on Monday.

The guns included rifles, handguns and ammunition his father kept in a locked closet, but Mercurio still planned to attack with the pipe, fire and knives if he couldn't get the firearms, alleged the sworn statement by FBI task force officer John Taylor II. After attacking the church, Mercurio told the informant he planned to attack others in town — as many as 21 — before being killed in an act of martyrdom, according to the statement.

“I've stopped asking and praying for martyrdom because I don't feel like I want to fight and die for the sake of Allah, I just want to die and have all my problems go away,” he wrote in a message to the informant, according to the statement.

John Taylor

 

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