A white supremacist has been arrested for plotting to attack a local energy facility in Nashville.
Skyler Philippi, 24, was arrested Saturday in Nashville and charged with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and attempted destruction of an energy facility, the U.S. Justice Department announced. He is being held without bond pending a Wednesday court appearance. His attorney has declined to comment on the charges.
According to the federal criminal complaint, Philippi was driven by “accelerationist ideology,” which is a white-supremacist belief that society is beyond repair and must be destroyed through violent means.
“Fueled by the perception that the White race’s future is bleak, these White supremacists believe they must employ any means necessary to expedite the collapse of the current system,” the Anti-Defamation League says of accelerationism. “Solutions to bring down the system range from the most extreme form, violence, to deliberate political engagement that supports destructive and divisive societal elements.”
Text messages detailed in the complaint reveal Philippi allegedly told an undercover FBI agent in July that targeting “high economic, high tax, political zones in every major metropolis” would cause maximum damage. Philippi had studied previous attacks on power substations in North Carolina and California, concluding that firearms would be ineffective compared to his planned drone attack.
Security experts cite the Nashville power grid plot as part of an escalating pattern of extremist activity.
“Electric utilities have always taken substation security seriously,” Patrick C. Miller, CEO of Oregon-based utility security consulting firm Ampyx Cyber, tells CNN. “Historically, perceived or real differences with the administration have [changed from ‘has’] a tendency to drive extremist activity, and I expect that to get more fuel.”
