COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — A Coeur d'Alene man has pleaded guilty to providing material support to ISIS, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department.
In April of 2024, Alexander Scott Mercurio, who was 18 at the time, devised a plan to attack churches in the Coeur d'Alene area. Those plans were ultimately foiled as the FBI took Mercurio into custody on April 6, 2024, a day before the planned terrorist attack.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Mercurio established an "online repository for pro-ISIS content with the purpose of spreading the doctrine of the Islamic State" in 2023.
In the days leading up to the planned terrorist attack, Mercurio pledged his support to the terrorist organization in a recorded video that shows him standing before an ISIS flag and brandishing a knife.
After his arrest, Mercurio entered a not guilty plea on April 10, 2024.
That plea is now reversed, and sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 27, 2026. Chief District Judge David C. Nye will be presiding over the sentencing hearing.
Mercurio faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.
