Idaho Man Gets 18 Years in Church Attack Plot

Alexander Scott Mercurio was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State group, and will be under supervised release for life after his prison term, a federal judge ordered.

U.S. District Judge David C. Nye imposed the sentence Tuesday. Mercurio, 21, had pleaded guilty to the federal charge the previous month. Prosecutors said he planned to attack churches in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, on the group’s behalf and was arrested by the FBI on April 6, 2024, one day before the planned attack.

According to prosecutors and court records, Mercurio had sought to support the Islamic State online and wanted to travel overseas to assist the group, but lacked the resources. Prosecutors said he later planned an attack in the United States, selecting churches in Coeur d’Alene and intending to begin on April 7, 2024.

A criminal complaint said Mercurio communicated with an undercover FBI employee and an informant about the plan. It described messages in which he discussed killing people at a church, setting it on fire and moving to other churches. Prosecutors said he also planned to attack his father and take his firearms....