According to the US Department of Justice, FBI agents arrested 24-year-old Tennessee resident Skyler Phillippi, who is accused of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction to blow up a power plant in Nashville.
Points of attention
- A 24-year-old Tennessee resident, Skyler Phillippi, was arrested by FBI agents for planning an attempted terrorist attack on a power plant in Nashville.
- Phillippi supported white supremacist ideology and planned to use a drone as a weapon of mass destruction to blow up the power plant.
- Law enforcement officers foiled the attack by going undercover with Phillippi to the power plant where the arrest was made, seizing explosive materials in the process.
- The incident serves as a warning against those who seek to spread violence and chaos by targeting critical infrastructure, with the Department of Justice vowing to bring perpetrators to justice.
- Skyler Phillippi faces potential life imprisonment if found guilty, shedding light on the severe consequences of planning and attempting terrorist acts in the United States.
What is known about the prevention of an attempted terrorist attack on a power plant in the United States
American law enforcement officers say that the detainee planned to blow up a power plant and leave millions of US citizens without electricity.
According to the head of the Ministry of Justice, Merrick Garland, the FBI prevented a conspiracy aimed at supporting white supremacism.
This case serves as yet another warning to those who seek to sow violence and chaos in the name of hate by attacking our nation's critical infrastructure: The Department of Justice will find you, disrupt your plan, and bring you to justice, Garland said.
What is known about the organizer of the terrorist attack and his ideology
His deputy, Lisa Monaco, added that the detained Skyler Phillippi supports the ideology of white supremacism and planned to blow up the power plant with the help of a drone with explosives.
It is also known that in June 2024, Phillippi declared his desire to stage a mass shooting in the vicinity of Colombia.
In July, he already started talking about the likely consequences of blowing up large power plants.
According to FBI representatives, the man carefully studied previous cases of attacks on power plants and concluded that an attack with the use of firearms would not be enough.
In September 2024, Phillippi and FBI agents went undercover to an electrical substation that was supposed to be a terrorist target.
In particular, the man ordered S-4 explosives and other explosive materials from FBI agents.
If you want to do the most damage as an accelerator, attack areas with high economic activity, high taxes, political areas in all major cities, Phillippi advised in his messages.
On November 2, Phillippi took part in a Norse ritual that included reciting a Norse prayer and discussing the Norse god Odin. The attacker told the undercover agents that "a new era is about to begin" and that it was "time to do something big."
Phillippi, together with undercover agents, went to the scene of the terrorist attack. The undercover agents took up their positions as observers. At that moment, law enforcement officers arrested the intruder.
Phillippi faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted at trial.
