The Federal Bureau of Investigation thwarted a plot to blow up an electrical substation in Nashville last weekend and arrested a suspect “dedicated to white supremacist ideology,” according to the Department of Justice.
Skyler Philippi, 24, of Columbia, Tennessee, was charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to destroy an energy facility. If convicted, he could face a maximum penalty of life in prison.
“As alleged, the defendant in this case conducted extensive research into explosive devices and potential targets to launch an attack against critical infrastructure,” stated Special Agent in Charge Joe Carrico of the FBI Field Office in Nashville, according to a DOJ press release.
In June of this year, Philippi allegedly told a confidential human source (CHS) about his desire to desire to “commit a mass shooting at a YMCA facility located in or around Columbia, Tennessee.” In July, he told another source that attacking several large interstate substations would trigger a domino effect, causing other substations to fail. After research, he concluded that using a drone with explosives attached to attack a substation would be the most efficient way to accomplish his goal, the DOJ press release stated.
In September, he drove with undercover FBI employees to an electric substation to conduct a reconnaissance of the area. He also allegedly ordered plastic explosive composition C-4 and other explosives from the undercover workers. He later purchased black powder to make pipe bombs to use in the intended attack on the substation.
Philippi discussed other details about his plan with the undercover operatives, such as the need for disguises, wearing leather gloves instead of latex or nitrile, wearing over-sized shoes, the need to burn their clothes after the attack, and reminders not to bring smartphones on the night of the attack, the DOJ report stated.
On Nov. 2, Philippi and the undercover operatives went to a hotel in Nashville, where they participated in a Nordic ritual that included citing a Nordic prayer and discussing the Nordic god Odin. Philippi told the undercover operatives 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 DOJ report stated.
Neo-Nazis and white supremacists are known to take part in such rituals before committing an attack to ask for help from the gods and because Adolph Hitler had an interest in pagan and Nordic traditions, as the New York Times reported.
After the ritual, the suspect drove to the substation with the undercover FBI employees, who then took up their assigned positions as lookouts for Philipi. Philippi was subsequently arrested by FBI agents as he stood at the rear of his vehicle with the drone powered up and the explosive device armed.
The motive for the planned attack appears related to an extremist ideology known as “accelerationism,” which calls for the complete destruction of American society through violent means to ultimately achieve a white ethno-state. This ideology has been linked to several previous attacks on electrical infrastructure.
“If you want to do the most damage as an accelerationist, attack high economic, high tax, political zones in every major metropolis,” Philippi allegedly texted to a CHS, per the DOJ press release.
“Driven by a racially motivated violent extremist ideology, the defendant allegedly 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 in the press release. “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.”
