Report: Maine teen charged terrorism-related for Chicago mosque-attack plot

CHICAGO — A Maine man is now facing terrorism-related charges for allegedly conspiring an attack at a Chicago mosque.

According to court documents, 19-year-old Xavier Pelkey was charged with one count of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists for knowing and another count of possession of explosives.

Documents state the first count may carry up to 15 years and the second count up to 10 years.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the allegations first came to light in February when Pelkey was charged with owning several shrapnel-packed explosives that found during a raid of his Waterville, Maine home.

The paper reported that prosecutors said Pelkey was allegedly planning to travel to Chicago to commit a “mass murder” at a mosque.

Later, police warranted a search for a 15-year-old boy who was communicating online with Pelkey about the planned attack. Police found many firearms including a Remington pump shotgun as well as swords, knives, a bow and arrow, multiple homemade ISIS flags and electronic devices, according to the Tribune.

FBI agents told the Tribune that the boy identified only as “Juvenile #1,” and Pelkey, who used the name “Abdullah” on Instagram, were conspiring with a 17-year-old boy from Kentucky to attack “an identified Shia Muslim Mosque in the Chicago area” in late March.

Extremist groups such as ‘ISIS’ have previously targeted other Islamic minority groups such as the sect of Shia.

The Tribune stated that no public charges have been made against either teen.