A Tennessee man was detained by the FBI after he allegedly attempted to travel an incendiary aircraft into a Nashville power center. The suspect was detained just before his device was launched toward the substation, according to the Department of Justice ( DOJ).  ,
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Skyler Philippi, 24, of Columbia, Tennessee, was detained and charged with the intended death of an energy service and attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction in a press release released on Monday.
This comes after a prior plot to destroy stations in Maryland was foiled by federal law enforcement in February 2023.
According to the DOJ, Philippi was given the news by a hacked anonymous supply in June 2024 that the FBI Nashville Field Office, which is looking into the situation, planned to carry out a large shooting at a YMCA in Columbia, Tennessee. Phillipi then allegedly told a second, unnamed source that he would rather attack large turnpike power substations to” shock the system” and shut down other substations.
According to the DOJ, the defendant looked into earlier energy substation attacks and determined that shooting at the crucial infrastructure was inadequate. According to national authorities, that led him to pursue his schedule to memory a drone loaded with explosives and rams it into a substation to explode it.
Eventually, undercover FBI agents who were assisting him with his designed assault on the stations met with Philippi at one of those features in September and exchanged information about it.
According to the DOJ, Philippi planned to add immobile C-4 explosives to the helicopter after purchasing charcoal powder for pipe bombs and getting them from the federal agents.
” If you want to do the most damage as an accelerationist, attack large economic, higher taxes, political districts in every major metropolis”, Philippi told the confidential agent.
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Philippi added,” Holy sh**. This will go up like a fu**in fourth of July firework”, in reference to the station.
Philippi instructed the undercover officers to obtain masks, leather gloves to prevent leaving fingerprints, and large shoes in order to ensure administrative stability on the night of the attack. He added that it is crucial to burn people’s clothes after the invasion and not bring their phones to the location.
The DOJ claims that Philippi is a white supremacist and that he allegedly recited a Northern meditation on November 2 just before his planned attacks. He also claims that he was a part of a neo-pagan ceremony.
According to reports, Philippi claimed that this is the beginning of the” New Age,” adding that now was a significant time to undertake a significant undertaking that would be cherished in historical history. The site was visited by Philippi and the undercover FBI agents, and they were soon moved to their designated alert opportunities. The respondent was at the back of the car powering up his aircraft, with the munitions now armed, when he was arrested, the DOJ said.
The plaintiff planned to attack the electricity grid with a helicopter and explosives, leaving thousands of Americans and crucial facilities like hospitals without electricity, according to FBI Director Christopher Wray. The defendant’s tale was discovered and hacked off by the FBI before he could harm any property. We are committed to holding responsible anyone who uses domestic violent extremism to threaten the safety of our essential equipment.
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The event is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Kurtzman of the Middle District of Tennessee and trial lawyers Justin Sher and James Donnelly of the Terrorism Part, according to the DOJ.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland claimed that Skyler Philippi had reason to believe he was just minutes away from starting an assault on a Nashville strength ability to advance his violent white nationalist ideology.  ,
The Justice Department will get you, we will destroy your story, and we will hold you accountable, as a further caution is issued to those who seek to incite violence and chaos by attacking our nation’s crucial infrastructure. Garland praised the FBI’s public servants for their amazing work on this event and the daily efforts they make to protect our state.
Philippi could receive a maximum sentence of life in prison. After taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other legal factors, a federal district court judge will decide his sentence if he is found guilty.
The DOJ’s grievance against Philippi is available on their website. ( pdf )
