COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — A Coeur d'Alene man was arrested for allegedly attempting to provide material support and resources to ISIS, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Idaho.
18-year-old Alexander Scott Mercurio allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS and intended to commit attacks on the terrorist group's behalf by attacking people at Coeur d'Alene churches with weapons including knives, guns, and fire. He is facing 20 years in prison.
Mercurio was arrested on Saturday, April 6, the day before he allegedly planned to attack a local church on behalf of ISIS. According to court documents, those plans included attacking his father, stealing his guns and carrying out a suicide attack on church(es) in Coeur d'Alene. The arrest followed a multi-year investigation by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF).
"His attack plan involved using a "flame sword," explosives, knives, a machete, a pipe, and ultimately firearms," according to court documents.
According to the FBI, Mercurio sent messages in late March where he detailed plans to attack the "nearest church" and "repeat for all 21+ churches in the town until killed."
The FBI said on April 6, Mercurio sent a statement pledging his allegiance to ISIS. After that law enforcement arrested him at his home. During a search, law enforcement found "items consistent with his planned attack," "several firearms in [his] father's possession, and "an ISIS flag in Mercurio's bedroom."
Mercurio is currently in custody awaiting his first court appearance, which is scheduled for Wednesday, April 10.
Who is Alexander Mercurio?
Mercurio is currently enrolled at North Idaho College. Coeur d'Alene Public Schools confirmed he attended Lake City High School, graduating last year. During his junior and senior year, the district said he enrolled in the Idaho Digital Learning Alliance, where he took his classes entirely online.
According to court documents, Mercurio used a school-issued laptop to message who he believed was a member of ISIS. The district said is issued him a Chromebook to access his classes online, adding that all electronic devices issued to students have controls in place to block inappropriate content and manage the student's internet access.
In court documents, Mercurio is quoted as saying he "previously 'drank the Kool-aid' of white supremacy" but found more purpose with ISIS.
The FBI said it began when Mercurio reached out to courses online and indicated his support for ISIS and terrorist organizations.
“The defendant allegedly pledged loyalty to ISIS and sought to attack people attending churches in Idaho, a truly horrific plan which was detected and thwarted by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said. “This investigation demonstrates the FBI’s steadfast commitment to work with our law enforcement partners to stop those who wish to commit acts of violence on behalf of – or inspired by – foreign terrorist groups.”
Community Reaction
The Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations (KCTFHR) issued the following statement regarding Mercurio's arrest:
Today we learned of an alleged terror attack on local churches by a Coeur d’Alene man who according to the FBI had sworn an oath to ISIS and allegedly told an informant he once had been a supporter of “white supremacy”.
The KCTFHR was formed in 1981 with the mission of countering the work of hate groups and acts of hate crimes such as the Aryan Nations, Order One and Order Two.
We are once again reminded of our strong support for Federal, state and local law enforcement as well as prosecutors for more than 43 years by our organization.
Not only must we provide adequate funding to law enforcement and prosecutors but also strong anti-hate crime legislation at both the Federal and state level.
In the 1980’s, we worked with both Republican and Democratic Idaho legislators and the governor to enact a series of strong Idaho anti-hate laws. For example, two of the KCTFHR members met in the office of Kootenai County Prosecutor Glen Walker with one of his deputies and a private attorney to draft what became known as the Idaho Domestic Terrorist Control Act (1987 Chapter 81, Title 18, 18-8101-8106).
During the 2024 session of the Idaho Legislature, the Idaho Senate passed a bill to severely weaken the Domestic Terrorist Control Act. The KCTFHR, the Bonner County Human Rights Task Force and former Idaho Attorney General Jim Jones joined forces working with a bi-partisan group of legislators in the Idaho House to kill the bill.
Let’s not forget that no community is exempt from the threat of violence by one or more groups or individuals. We need to support law enforcement and prosecutors along with proper laws to keep our communities safe. Constant awareness is essential for the safety of our citizens. We must never let down our guard that can result in great tragedies.
We face ongoing serious threats from extremists’ groups across America including bombings of houses of worship, killing of innocent individuals such as at the Temple of Tree Life Massacre in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania on October 27, 2018 where 26 innocent lives were lost, and the list goes on.
We local human rights groups stand ready to assist victims as we have done for decades."
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