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Waterville man pleads guilty to charge related to alleged plot to attack mosque

Xavier Pelkey, 19, faces up to a 15-year sentence in prison, as well as a $250,000 fine and up to a lifetime of supervised release.

BANGOR, Maine — A 19-year-old Waterville man pleaded guilty to conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists in a Bangor courtroom Friday.

Court records show beginning in November 2021, Xavier Pelkey conspired with one minor in Chicago and one minor in Canada to plan a mass shooting at a Shia mosque in the Chicago area, a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Maine said.

"Pelkey and his coconspirators were subscribers to a radical form of Sunni Islam and supporters of the foreign terrorist organization the Islamic State, also known as ISIS," the release said. "Pelkey planned to contribute firearms, ammunition and explosives to be used in the attack."

 The Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a search warrant at Pelkey's home in Waterville in February 2022, and according to the release, agents found three handmade explosive devices during the search.

"Investigators observed a hand-painted version of the flag used by ISIS on the wall of Pelkey’s bedroom and recovered written statements intended to be released just prior to the planned attack claiming the attack in the name of ISIS," the release said Friday.

Pelkey now faces up to a 15-year sentence in prison, as well as a $250,000 fine and up to a lifetime of supervised release, according to the release. He will receive his sentencing after the U.S. Probation Office completes a presentence investigation report

This case was investigated by the FBI.

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