Maine ISIS Follower Gets 15 Years in Prison for Conspiracy to Bomb Chicago Mosque

Federal authorities say Xavier Pelkey, 20, and two minors planned to carry out the attack using homemade explosive devices.
Maine ISIS Follower Gets 15 Years in Prison for Conspiracy to Bomb Chicago Mosque
The U.S. Department of Justice in Washington on June 20, 2023. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Allan Stein
Updated:
0:00

A federal judge sentenced a Maine man to 15 years in prison for conspiring to help two minors bomb a Shia mosque in Chicago in 2022.

U.S. District Judge Lance Walker also sentenced Xavier Pelkey, 20, of Waterville, Maine, to complete 20 years of supervised release after his prison term.

“The threat of a mass casualty shooting is all too real and fresh for the people of Maine today, as is the case for far too many communities across our nation,” said Darcie N. McElwee, U.S. Attorney of the District of Maine, in a written statement.

“Mr. Pelkey bought into hate and rhetoric he found online, and it cost him his future.”

On April 7, Mr. Pelkey pleaded guilty to felony conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Mr. Pelkey conspired with a minor in Chicago and another in Canada to conduct a mass shooting at a Shia mosque in the Chicago area.

“Pelkey and his co-conspirators were subscribers to a radical form of Sunni Islam and supporters of the foreign terrorist organization the Islamic State, also known as ISIS,” according to a DOJ statement announcing Mr. Pelkey’s sentence.

“Pelkey planned to contribute firearms, ammunition, and explosives to be used in the attack.”

Homemade Devices

The indictment also alleged that on Feb. 11, 2022, Mr. Pelkey possessed three homemade explosive devices not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.

During a search of Mr. Pelkey’s Waterville home in February 2022, the FBI discovered all three devices and a hand-painted version of the black-and-white flag used by ISIS on his bedroom wall.

Authorities also recovered written statements intended to be released “just prior to the planned attack claiming the attack in the name of ISIS.”

In a written statement, Special Agent Jodi Cohen of the FBI Boston Division said the case highlighted the “very real threat” posed by homegrown violent extremists.

“Rest assured, the FBI will use every investigative tool available to us to identify and disrupt terrorists like Mr. Pelkey in order to keep our communities safe.”

The DOJ said Mr. Pelkey also faced a $250,000 fine for his role in the conspiracy.

Maine Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig M. Wolff and trial attorney Jennifer Levy of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section prosecuted the case, according to the DOJ.

The Department of Homeland Security National Terrorism Advisory System lists domestic extremist terrorism as a significant threat in the upcoming 2024 election cycle.

Among the potential targets for terrorist activity are critical infrastructure, places of worship, and racial and religious minorities in the United States.

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