'A craving for mayhem’: Idaho man who planned ISIS church attacks gets 18 years in prison
Mercurio was arrested one day before his planned attack, after pledging allegiance to ISIS and telling an FBI informant he wanted to “rinse and repeat for all 21+ churches in the town.”
Alexander Scott Mercurio, 21 years old from Coeur d Alene, Idaho, received an 18-year prison sentence and lifetime supervised release on Tuesday for attempting to support a designated foreign terrorist organization, ISIS, according to the US Justice Department. Assistant Director Jarod Brown of the FBI's Counterterrorism Division stated, "With today's sentencing, this individual is being held accountable for pledging allegiance to ISIS and planning an attack on US soil."
Mercurio pleaded guilty in October 2025 after law enforcement presented evidence of his allegiance to ISIS and a planned attack on US soil prior to the incident, as reported by The Lewiston Tribune.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
