NASHVILLE – A man from Tennessee was arrested Saturday Nov. 2, by federal agents for planning to destroy an energy facility Nashville.
Federal agents arrested 24-year-old Skyler Philippi, of Columbia, Tennessee, on charges related to terrorism.
Philippi also faces charges of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and planning an attack on 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,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland.
According to federal investigators, Philippi allegedly plotted an assault on an electric substation and planned a mass shooting at a local YMCA.
Over several months, he detailed these plans to confidential informants and FBI undercover agents, expressing a desire to disrupt critical infrastructure.
Philippi allegedly researched previous substation attacks and concluded that explosives delivered by drone would be most effective.
He reportedly ordered materials, including C-4 and black powder for pipe bombs, and conducted reconnaissance of a specific substation.
Before his arrest on Nov. 2, Philippi participated in a Nordic ritual and expressed intentions of leaving a historical impact.
He was apprehended with a powered drone and an armed explosive device near the operation site. If convicted, he could face life in prison.
The FBI Nashville Field Office continues to investigate.
“Dangerous threats to our critical infrastructure threaten every member of this community and will not be tolerated,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Thomas J. Jaworski for the Middle District of Tennessee.
“We will always work with our law enforcement partners to identify and stop any and all efforts to wreak this kind of havoc and will not hesitate in prosecuting those involved to the fullest extent of the law.”