A would-be teenaged terrorist who was in the midst of organizing a deadly assault has been stopped by authorities, according to a report.
Alexander Scott Mercurio, an 18-year-old student from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, who had allegedly planned to attack churchgoers in his hometown in the name of ISIS, was arrested on Saturday, April 6.
The FBI identified Mercurio as an online student at a local school who was issued a laptop and Wi-Fi hotspot.
Authorities searched the school-issed laptop and found files "confirming Mercurio's commitment to ISIS and its ideology.", according to USA Today.
The 18-year-old's behavior "escalated" at the beginning of 2024 when he started planning a suicide attack on Coeur d'Alene churches.
In an online group chat with other ISIS supporters, the student wrote, "I'm 17 in the USA."
"I know I try to keep it secret; I'm in north Idaho, and very Christian and conservative parents are mad because I'm not shaving my beard and not letting pants go below my ankle."
He stands accused of "attempting to provide material support and resources to ISIS" as well as pledging his allegiance to the terrorist organization, according to a Justice Department news release.
Records show that during an online conversation with an anonymous source whom he later met in person, Mercurio disclosed the plan in elaborate detail.
"The plan is basically this: lie to my dad and say I'm going on a walk, leave, walk to a park, send the bayah video [a pledge of allegiance to ISIS], delete all social media on my phone, then walk to the nearest church," he explained to the confidential source between March 25 and 26.
"Stop close by the church, equip the weapon(s) and storm the temple, kill as many as possible before they inevitably scatter, then burn the temple to the ground and flee the scene, then move onto the next church, rinse, and repeat for all 21+ churches in the town until killed.", he continued to write.
The attack would involve restraining his father with handcuffs and stealing his firearms for "maximum casualties," along with flame-covered weapons, explosives, knives, a machete, a pipe, and other various firearms.
Mercurio singled out a specific church and originally planned the attack for April 7 so that it would occur before the end of Ramadan.
Federal law enforcement officials were able to thwart Mercurio before he could harm his father.
When searching the family's home, authorities found plans for the attack, along with an ISIS flag in his bedroom.
"This case should be an eye-opener to the dangers of self-radicalization, which is a real threat to our communities," Special Agent in Charge Shohini Sinha of the Salt Lake City FBI said.
"Protecting the American people from terrorism remains the FBI's number one priority, and we continue to encourage the public to report anything suspicious to the FBI or your local law enforcement."
Mercurio faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison should be convicted.
