FBI thwarts alleged white supremacist attack on Nashville power grid on

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On the eve of Election Day, Attorney General Merrick Garland made a timely announcement that the Biden Justice Department thwarted “a man dedicated to white supremacist ideology” from attacking Nashville’s power grid with an explosive-laden drone.

Skyler Philippi, 24, of Columbia, Tennessee, was arrested and charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to destroy an energy facility, according to a DOJ press release.

“As charged, Skyler Philippi believed he was moments away from launching an attack on a Nashville energy facility to further his violent white supremacist ideology – but the FBI had already compromised his plot,” Garland said. “This case serves as yet another warning to those seeking to sow violence and chaos in the name of hatred by attacking our country’s critical infrastructure: the Justice Department will find you, we will disrupt your plot, and we will hold you accountable.”

Given the Ray Epps fiasco and the outcome of the FBI-tainted kidnapping plot targeting Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, it’s fair to reserve an opinion on the validity of the charges.

Race was a common theme among the government authorities commenting on the case.

“Those fueled by hate and inspired to violence by racial or ethnic bias pose a grave threat to our national security,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said. “As alleged in today’s charges, Skyler Philippi, a man dedicated to white supremacist ideology and the destruction of our critical infrastructure, planned to attack Nashville’s power grid using a drone carrying an explosive device. Thanks to brave work by the FBI, his scheme was thwarted. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to identify, disrupt, and hold accountable those who seek to wage such hate-fueled violence, which has no place in America or anywhere else.”

“Driven by a racially motivated violent extremist ideology, the Defendant planned to attack the power grid with a drone and explosives, leaving thousands of Americans and critical infrastructure like hospitals without power,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said. “The FBI’s swift work led to the detection and disruption of the defendant’s plot before he could cause any damage. We are committed to holding accountable anyone who threatens the security of our critical infrastructure or seeks to harm American communities through domestic violent extremism.”

According to the DOJ, Philippi researched previous attacks on electric substations and decided that he would need to fly an explosive-laden drone into a substation. In September, the suspect allegedly went to a substation with undercover FBI employees after having previously conducted reconnaissance on it.

“On Nov. 2, 2024, Philippi participated in a Nordic ritual, which included reciting a Nordic prayer and discussing the Norse god Odin. Philippi told the UCEs that ‘this is where the New Age begins’ and that it was ‘time to do something big’ that would be remembered ‘in the annals of history,’” the press release added.

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Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.