A Columbia, Tennessee man allegedly attempted to fly a drone packed with explosives into an energy facility before the FBI stopped him from destroying the critical infrastructure, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
In a press release, the DOJ said 24-year-old Skyler Philippi was arrested and charged with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and attempted destruction of an energy facility.
“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.
“This case serves as yet another warning to those seeking to sow violence and chaos in the name of hatred by attacking our country’s critical infrastructure: the Justice Department will find you, we will disrupt your plot, and we will hold you accountable.”
The DOJ said Philippi told a confidential human source (CHS) in June, that he wanted to commit a mass shooting at a YMCA in the Columbia, Tennessee area.
Nearly a month later, he allegedly told another CHS that an attack on large interstate substations would “shock the system,” and cause other substations to malfunction.
According to the DOJ, Philippi researched previous attacks on electric substations, ultimately concluding that just using firearms was not enough. Instead, he planned to use a drone with explosives attached to it, and then fly the drone into a substation.
In September, Philippi allegedly went to a substation with undercover FBI employees that he had previously researched and conducted reconnaissance on.
Philippi and the undercover employees drove to the site, and when they arrived, they moved to their assigned lookout positions before law enforcement agents arrested him.
