An 18-year-old teenager from northern Idaho, Alexander Scott Mercurio, has been charged by federal prosecutors with attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State group. Mercurio, who had converted to the Muslim faith against his Christian parents' wishes, was allegedly planning to attack churches in Coeur d'Alene using a metal pipe, butane fuel, a machete, and potentially his father's guns.
Authorities revealed that Mercurio was in contact with FBI informants posing as Islamic State group supporters. He intended to incapacitate his father, steal his guns, and carry out the attack. If unable to access the firearms, he planned to proceed with the attack using the pipe, fire, and knives.
