COEUR D’ALENE, ID — A 20-year-old Coeur d’Alene man has pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho.
Court documents show that Alexander Scott Mercurio pledged allegiance to ISIS and planned to carry out an attack in Coeur d’Alene on behalf of the organization. Investigators said that in early 2023, Mercurio created an online repository to distribute pro-ISIS material and later made plans to attack churches in Coeur d’Alene on April 7, 2024. He purchased supplies to support the planned attack and recorded a video pledging loyalty to ISIS while holding a knife before an ISIS flag. FBI agents arrested him on April 6, 2024, one day before the alleged attack was to occur.
Mercurio faces up to 20 years in federal prison. Sentencing is scheduled for January 27, 2026, before Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye.
The FBI led the investigation with assistance from the Coeur d’Alene Police Department, Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office, and Ada County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Heather S. Patricco and David G. Robins of the District of Idaho and attorneys from the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
