American man accused of planning attacks on churches with ISIS [Video]

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho (KAYU) – The FBI has arrested a man for allegedly making plans to attack churches in Idaho and pledging his allegiance to ISIS.

The Justice Department said 18-year-old Alexander Mercurio was planning to use knives, guns, and fire on several churches on Sunday but was arrested Saturday.

According to court documents from the FBI, Mercurio admitted to first finding ISIS ideology while schools were canceled during the pandemic when Mercurio was a young teen.

The same documents show a record of Mercurio’s life as a Coeur D’Alene teen who said he once grew up following white supremacy ideology but converted to Islam, conflicting with his religious Christian parents.

He spoke in private messages to a man he thought was another terrorist sympathizer but was actually a federal agent.

Mercurio feared he wasn’t doing enough for the Islamic cause, saying “I don’t have the desire to do anything …