A 19-year-old from Maine accused of producing homemade explosive devices and making plans to attack a mosque has been sentenced 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.
BANGOR, Maine — 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.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Maine mass shooter was alive for most of massive 2-day search, autopsy suggestsPresident Biden and First Lady Jill Biden once again visited an American community rattled by a mass shooting, meeting with first responders and victims' families.
Read more »
Maine considers electrifying proposal that would give the boot to corporate electric utilitiesTaking a page from the “throw-the-bums-out” script in politics, Mainers will vote on whether to rid themselves of the state’s two biggest private electric utilities
Read more »
Maine considers electrifying proposal that would give the boot to corporate electric utilitiesTaking a page from the “throw-the-bums-out” script in politics, Mainers will vote on whether to rid themselves of the state’s two biggest private electric utilities. The referendum on the November ballot is unprecedented.
Read more »
Maine considers electrifying proposal that would give the boot to corporate electric utilitiesPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Taking a page from the “throw-the-bums-out” script in politics, Mainers are poised to vote on an unprecedented plan to rid
Read more »
Maine mass shooter was alive for most of massive 2-day search, autopsy suggestsPresident Biden and First Lady Jill Biden once again visited an American community rattled by a mass shooting, meeting with first responders and victims' families.
Read more »
Maine mass shooter was alive for most of massive 2-day search, autopsy suggestsPresident Biden and First Lady Jill Biden once again visited an American community rattled by a mass shooting, meeting with first responders and victims' families.
Read more »