Idaho Man Gets 18 Years for ISIS Plot

Alexander Scott Mercurio, 21, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison followed by lifetime supervised release after pleading guilty to attempting to provide material support to ISIS. Prosecutors said he planned a mass-casualty attack on local churches on April 7, 2024, intending to take his father’s firearms after incapacitating him; the plan also involved explosives and other weapons. The FBI arrested him the day before the planned attack, and investigators found weapons and related materials at his home. Court records say Mercurio created an online collection of pro-ISIS material and pledged allegiance to the group. His defense described him as a troubled, isolated young man who had experienced family trauma and was influenced online, while prosecutors and the FBI cited the case as an example of the threat of self-radicalization.