(CNN) The FBI arrested a man on Saturday after he allegedly made plans to attack churches in Idaho and pledged his allegiance to ISIS, the Justice Department said.
Alexander Scott Mercurio, 18, was charged with attempting to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, according to a Justice Department news release. The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force conducted the investigation.
Mercurio planned to attack churches in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, on Sunday “using weapons, including knives, firearms, and fire,” according to court documents cited by the Justice Department.
Investigators believe Mercurio’s alleged efforts to carry out an attack intensified following the March attack that killed 144 people at a concert hall complex near Moscow, according to a US law enforcement official. Russian and US authorities have blamed an ISIS group for that attack.
(Text updated)
