Maine Man Receives 15-Year Sentence for Mosque Attack Plot
Pelkey had entered into an agreement with prosecutors in April, in which he pleaded guilty to providing material support to terrorists. As part of the agreement, a second charge was dropped, the Associated Press reported on Monday.
The FBI revealed that Pelkey had devised a plan to supply firearms, ammunition, and explosives for a mass shooting at a Shia mosque located in the Chicago area, and potentially other places of worship.
He had also been in communication with two juveniles, one in Canada and one in Chicago, discussing the plot, as confirmed by law enforcement officials.
At the time of his arrest, Pelkey was 18, and FBI agents found three homemade explosives in his residence. These improvised devices were constructed using fireworks combined with staples, pins, and thumb tacks, designed to serve as shrapnel, as stated by the FBI.
Additionally, investigators discovered a handwritten document outlining the intended mosque attack, claiming it in the name of Daesh.
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During the legal proceedings, the defense argued for a six-year prison sentence, asserting that Pelkey had accepted responsibility for his actions, had no prior history of violent criminal behavior, and had just recently transitioned from being charged as a juvenile.
Prosecutors, on the other hand, presented a compelling narrative, characterizing the teenagers as a homegrown terror cell.
Source: Agencies
