(ProsperNews.net) – The FBI has arrested an Idaho teenager for plotting to attack churches on behalf of the Islamist terror group ISIS. Alexander Mercurio faces federal charges of attempting to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization over his alleged plan to incapacitate his father, steal his guns, and kill worshippers at Coeur d’Alene in northwest Idaho.
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force “detected and thwarted” the plot, Director Christopher Wray said in a statement. He added that the agency would “relentlessly” pursue and disrupt those who commit acts of terrorism against the United States.
The plot came to light when FBI informants befriended the 18-year-old online. Reports state that the teenager converted to Islam, against his parents’ wishes, and sought out fellow ISIS supporters on the internet. Mercurio allegedly told one of the informants of his plans to kill church-goers, and federal agents swooped just days before he was due to put them into action.
In a sworn statement, FBI task officer John Taylor II said the teenager resolved to use knives, fire, and pipes if he was unable to obtain his father’s firearms. In a secret recording, Mercurio allegedly told the FBI that it would be so much easier for him to inflict damage with his father’s guns, and he could “achieve better things.”
Unsealed court documents further reveal that Mr. Mercurio planned to attack up to 21 churches and die as a martyr. Files show that the teenager, who spoke to the FBI over two years, felt that he was a hypocrite for not yet launching an attack, and this was weighing on his mind. He described having a “craving for mayhem and murder” and said he wanted to die so all of his “problems would go away.”
Mercurio is one of several high-profile cases exposing loyalty to ISIS among American youth. Last year, Mateo Ventura of Massachusetts was indicted for fundraising for ISIS by selling gift cards on the dark web.
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