Federal agents arrested a Tennessee man with white nationalist ties who allegedly planned to use an explosives-laden drone to destroy a Nashville electrical substation, the Department of Justice announced Monday.
Skyler Philippi, 24, believed he was about to launch an attack Saturday when authorities arrested him at his intended launch site, where he had arrived with what he thought was a drone carrying three pounds of C-4 explosives, according to court documents. The explosives had been provided by undercover FBI employees as part of a months-long investigation.
“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,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement.
Court records unsealed Monday detail how Philippi allegedly told an FBI confidential source in July that he wanted to attack multiple substations to “shock the system.” The source introduced him to undercover FBI agents who gathered evidence about his plans over several months.
FBI Special Agent Angelo DeFeo wrote that Philippi had “researched previous attacks on electric substations and concluded that attacking with firearms would not be sufficient.” Instead, investigators say, he developed a plan to fly an explosive-laden drone into the facility.
The investigation revealed Philippi’s alleged ties to several white nationalist organizations, including the National Alliance, which advocates for eradicating Jewish people and other races. According to court documents, Philippi shared excerpts of his manifesto with undercover agents in September, focusing on white race preservation.
The case highlights growing concerns about threats to America’s power infrastructure, which includes more than 6,400 power plants and 450,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines. Law enforcement officials note that extremist groups increasingly view attacking the power grid as a means of causing widespread disruption.
Philippi faces federal charges and is scheduled to appear in court November 13. A federal public defender has been appointed to represent him, though requests for comment went unanswered Monday.
AP
