Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney’s Office

District of Maine

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, November 10, 2022

Waterville Man Indicted for Conspiring to Provide Material Support to Terrorists, Possessing Unregistered Destructive Devices

BANGOR, Maine: A Waterville man was charged with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and possession of unregistered destructive devices, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

A federal grand jury charged Xavier Pelkey, 19, in a two-count superseding indictment returned on November 9. Pelkey was originally indicted on April 15, 2022.

According to the superseding indictment and other court records, between November 2021 and February 2022, Pelkey conspired with other individuals to conduct a violent attack on a Shia mosque in the Chicago area. The indictment also alleges that on February 11 of this year, Pelkey possessed destructive devices, specifically three homemade explosive devices that were not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.

If convicted, Pelkey faces up to 15 years in prison on the material support charge and 10 years in prison on the destructive device charge.

The FBI investigated the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

U.S. Department of Justice Press Release