Terrorist tries to blow up Nashville power plant using weapon of mass destruction

A homegrown terrorist reportedly tried to blow up a power plant in Nashville using what federal prosecutors have called a weapon of mass destruction.

Skyler Philippi, 24, of Columbia, Tennessee has been arrested for allegedly plotting to destroy the power plant using explosives attached to a drone, prosecutors announced on Monday.

They say Philippi was trying to further his white supremacist causes and believed blowing up the power plant would usher in a “New Era.”

‘According to the indictment, Skyler Philippi thought he was about to launch an attack on a power plant in Nashville to further his violent white supremacist ideology – but the FBI [had] has already compromised his plot,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland.

“This case is yet another warning to those who seek to sow violence and chaos in the name of hate by attacking our country’s critical infrastructure: the Department of Justice will find you, we will disrupt your plot, and we will hold you accountable .’

According to a criminal complaint, Philippi told an informant in June that he wanted to commit a mass shooting at a YMCA facility in his hometown.

The following month he reportedly told someone else about the impact of an attack on major interstate substations, saying it would “shock the system” and cause other substations to malfunction.

Later, prosecutors say, Philippi told the informant and an undercover agent that he had written a manifesto about his desire to “attack high-tax cities or industrial areas to make the k***s lose money,” used a derogatory word for Jewish people.

In that conversation, he also reportedly discussed a shooting involving a black person from Louisville, Kentucky, and argued that the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 were “an inside job organized by a Jewish person.”

Philippi further told informants that he previously had ties to white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups: the Atomwaffen Division and the National Alliance.

The two groups previously targeted racial minorities, the Jewish community, the LGBTQ+ community, the government, journalists and infrastructure.

During that Aug. 7 conversation, prosecutors say Philippi again brought up his plan to attack nine power plants across the country to help accelerate the collapse of the U.S. power grid.

In September, Philippi is said to have met with undercover agents to discuss his plans.

He said he had investigated previous attacks on electrical substations and concluded that an attack with weapons would not be sufficient, according to the complaint.

Instead, Philippi is said to be planning to use a drone with explosives attached, which he would fly to the substation.

Philippi also reportedly said he wanted to build the drone himself, claiming the parts would “cost around $150” and that he could “3D print the drone.” [drone] body for pennies.’

He then allegedly asked the undercover officers for the parts he needed and showed the officers an open-source website showing the locations of electrical substations in the Nashville area.

“I absolutely want to get to Nashville, one hundred percent, I want to get to Nashville,” Philippi told the officers, according to the complaint.

“I know Louisville pretty well, too, since I lived there.

“I spent about five months exploring each place [power station] and even devise a game plan to strike as soon as possible,” he reportedly added.

‘To actually do that, I had entire maps made, printed out on paper.’

Later that month, prosecutors say Philippi drove with undercover officers to an electrical substation he had previously investigated and intended to conduct reconnaissance.

While he was driving, the undercover officers introduced him to a third undercover officer who said he could provide explosives, and that officer agreed to supply “poor man’s C-4.”

The crew also later discussed making pipe bombs, with Philippi saying he had purchased black powder to use in the bombs.

During the reconnaissance mission, Philippi is said to have noticed that certain parts of the substation were flammable and an attack on them was “guaranteed to take everything down” and “destroy evidence.”

“Holy c***. This will go up like a Fourth of July firework,” the accused terrorist reportedly said.

He also allegedly spoke to the undercover officers about operational security, instructing them to dress as clergymen with fake glasses on the night of the attack and suggesting they wear leather gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints and oversized shoes. .

Philippi also allegedly suggested they leave their smartphones behind on the night of the attack, rent a Toyota Prius and merge into a nearby neighborhood from where he planned to launch the drone and then burn their clothes.

Then, on the day of the planned attack, November 2, Philippi and his undercover accomplices took part in a “Nordic ritual” in which they recited a Norse prayer and discussed the Norse god Odin.

From there, the crew had lunch and returned to a hotel, where one of the officers asked him what the attack meant to him.

He is said to have replied that ‘this is where the new era begins’ and that it is ‘time to do something great’ that would be remembered ‘in the annals of history’.

Leading up to the planned attack, one of the undercover officers handed Philippi the inactive C-4 and instructions on how to use it, and when he was taken into custody the drone was already armed with the explosive device, prosecutors said. .

“Philippi was prepared to attach the explosives to the drone when he was arrested,” the complaint reads.

‘Philippi attempted to use a weapon of mass destruction to destroy an energy facility that supplies electricity to hundreds of companies, affecting interstate commerce.’

He is charged with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and attempted destruction of an energy supply.

If convicted, Philippi faces a maximum penalty of life behind bars.