A white supremacist is accused of attempting to destroy an electrical substation in Tennessee in an attempt to disrupt the local power grid and disrupt American society, authorities announced Monday.
Authorities say Skyler Philippi, 24, of Columbia, Tenn., was planning to attach bombs to drones and fly them to energy facilities in Nashville as part of an extremist mission, according to an FBI investigation. was discovered and arrested.
Philippi is charged with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and attempted destruction of an energy facility. He appeared in court on Monday and is scheduled to appear again on November 13th. He remains in custody and faces a possible life sentence.
Authorities said Mr. Philippi espoused accelerationist views in messages to FBI officials, which are prevalent among far-right extremists and suggest that large-scale shocks can cause chaos and disrupt society. The premise is to force a change in the species composition, resulting in the creation of an all-white state.
The theory was popularized by manifestos left behind by perpetrators of neo-Nazi and white supremacist terrorist attacks that garnered a lot of attention, including the 2019 killing of 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. .
The suspect told a confidential FBI source in June that he wanted to carry out a mass shooting at a YMCA facility in Columbia, south of Nashville, but later that year decided that wasn’t enough. It is said that he did.
“If you want to do the most damage as an accelerationist, attack the high economic, high tax, political zones of every big city,” Philippi wrote, according to court documents released Monday.
In September, Mr. Philippi showed undercover agents a portion of his manifesto, which stated that “radical armed struggle is the sole purpose of protecting and preserving our people.”
“As alleged in today’s charges, Skyler Philippi, a man dedicated to the ideology of white supremacy and the destruction of our nation’s critical infrastructure, was a man who was loaded with explosives,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in a statement. “They were planning to use drones to attack Nashville’s power grid.”
FBI Director Christopher Wray said the suspect was “driven by a racially motivated violent extremist ideology” and that his actions would result in thousands of people losing power, including hospitals. said.
According to the bureau, Philippi drove to the substation with an undercover FBI agent to conduct reconnaissance. While driving, he ordered C-4 explosives from an undercover agent and later purchased black powder for use in pipe bombs.
The FBI said the suspect spoke of the need to cover his tracks through disguises, leather gloves and ill-fitting shoes.
Philippi was arrested on November 2 by undercover agents acting as co-conspirators who agreed to keep watch. The FBI said the drone was powered on and had active explosives at the time of the arrest.
Earlier that day, Philippi took part in a Norse ritual in honor of the Norse god Odin, telling the undercover agents that “a new era begins here,” marking the time for “something big” that will be remembered for generations to come. I told him that I had come. “Historical Chronology”.
An affinity for pagan folklore is shared by far-right extremists, in part due to Adolf Hitler’s interest in Norse mythology. According to the criminal complaint against Philippi, he was wearing a homemade shirt with the message “Death to Odin” emblazoned on it.
A federal district court judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
NBC News contacted the public defender appointed to represent Philippi.
Contributed by Michael Costner.
