COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — A Coeur d'Alene man accused of planning to attack local churchgoers on behalf of the terrorist organization ISIS pleaded not guilty to a federal criminal charge.
Alexander Mercurio, 18, was arrested on Saturday, April 6. He allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS and intended to commit attacks on the terrorist groups behalf by attacking people at Coeur d'Alene churches with weapons including knives, guns, and fire. The 18-year-old appeared in Idaho's U.S. District Court on Wednesday morning, where he pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and denied the criminal forfeiture allegation. He is set to go to trial late next month.
According to an indictment filed Tuesday, if Mercurio is convicted of his accused crimes, he must give any property "which constitutes or is derived from proceeds traceable to the offense or a conspiracy to commit such offense" to the U.S. government. Essentially, if he is found guilty and convicted, any monetary items the court believes Mercurio may have must be taken away.
In court Thursday, Mercurio pleaded not guilty to one count of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and said he did not want to court to seize his property.
Mercurio's arrest followed a multi-year investigation by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF).
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."
"His attack plan involved using a "flame sword," explosives, knives, a machete, a pipe, and ultimately firearms," according to court documents.
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."
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 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.”
Mercurio's trial is set to begin in Coeur d'Alene on May 28.
More to Every Story
In an effort to bring More to Every Story, KREM 2 spoke with Matt Kriner, a regular consultant for the U.S. State Department and law enforcement agencies and an expert in this type of homegrown extremism.
Kriner told KREM 2 domestic terrorism is a constant threat to communities across the country.
"The individual really represents a growing issue that we're facing in the United States, and not only in the United States, but also across North America as a whole," Kriner said. "There's this increasing issue of radicalization after the COVID era when individuals were forced into their homes a lot more frequently than they would have been in the past. So, they're consuming the internet and the weird parts of the internet that get a little bit scary or a little bit risky."
Kriner explained those "risky" parts of the internet are very easy to find, and the more one gets involved in those areas, "the more doors might open."
"The way the internet works today, it's very simple to be funneled into a much more dangerous environment with actors who are looking to exploit you, radicalize you, latch on to those grievances you might hold and push you towards something that we might consider terrorism or just political violence," Kriner said.
Kriner added those online environments may be an ISIS framework looking for a target, which explains Mercurio allegedly targeting churches in Coeur d'Alene before he was arrested on April 6.
"Generally, what we've seen in these cases is they're waiting for some threshold to be crossed, whether it's from a criminal statute or whether it's from a behavioral indication," he said. " He obviously started to ramp up, he clearly went forth and started to push towards the actual attack."
Kriner also told KREM 2 there's no standard profile for a homegrown terrorist. But, countless experts have said young male teens or early adults in America with an anger towards society are often the ones targeted by these extremist groups, and then pushed toward radicalization and violence.
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