HAI Community:Maine man sentenced to 15 years for mosque attack plot

2025-05-03 11:39:22source:Fastexycategory:Invest

BANGOR,HAI Community Maine (AP) — A 19-year-old from Maine who the FBI says built homemade explosives and plotted to attack a mosque in the name of the Islamic State group was sentenced Monday to 15 years in prison.

Xavier Pelkey, of Waterville, entered an agreement with prosecutors in April in which he pleaded guilty to providing material support to terrorists while a second charge was dropped.

Pelkey planned to contribute firearms, ammunition and explosives for a mass shooting at a Shiite mosque in the Chicago area and possibly other houses of worship, and he was in communication with a pair of juveniles, one in Canada and one Chicago, about the plot, law enforcement officials said.

Pelkey was 18 when he was arrested by FBI agents who found three homemade explosives in his home. The devices were made of fireworks bundled with staples, pins and thumb tacks to create shrapnel, the FBI said. Investigators also found a handwritten document about the planned mosque attack, claiming it in the name of the Islamic State group.

The defense argued for a six-year prison sentence, contending Pelkey accepted responsibility, lacked a violent criminal history and was traumatized by his abusive upbringing.

More:Invest

Recommend

British swimmer Adam Peaty: There are worms in the food at Paris Olympic Village

There are many things athletes look forward to when hanging out in the Olympic Village.Unfortunately

Europe’s Hot, Fiery Summer Linked to Global Warming, Study Shows

Global warming made this summer’s record heat across Southern Europe—with its wildfires and a heat w

20 AAPI-Owned Makeup & Skincare Brands That Should Be in Your Beauty Bag

We independently selected these products because we love them, and we hope you do too at these price