# Idaho ISIS wannabe Alexander Scott Mercurio jailed for 18 years over plot to massacre churchgoers

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/idaho-isis-wannabe-alexander-scott-mercurio-jailed-for-18-years-over-plot-to-massacre-churchgoers/
- Published: 2026-11-11T11:48:38+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-11T12:27:42+00:00
- Original publisher: New York Post (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://nypost.com/2026/11/11/us-news/idaho-isis-wannabe-alexander-scott-mercurio-jailed-for-18-years-over-plot-to-massacre-churchgoers/
- Topics: World

## Key points

- Mercurio received an 18-year federal prison sentence.
- He was arrested one day before the planned church attack.
- His sentence includes lifetime supervised release.

## Summary

An Idaho man, Alexander Scott Mercurio, has been sentenced to 18 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State group. Prosecutors said he planned an attack on churches in Coeur d’Alene, and was arrested the day before it was due to happen.

Mercurio will also face lifetime supervised release after prison. Prosecutors said he pledged allegiance to IS and planned to use explosives, knives and firearms; court records say he had shared pro-IS material online and sent an informant an audio pledge and a photograph of himself with a knife. His lawyers sought a nine-year sentence, citing family trauma and his renunciation of extremist views, and said he had been assessed as a low risk of future danger.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.