FBI Stops Man Moments Before Explosive Attack On Nashville Power Grid
Skyler Philippi, a 24-year-old man from Columbia, Tennessee, was arrested by federal agents and charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to destroy an energy facility in Nashville. The arrest was made moments before Philippi was about to launch an attack on the city's power grid using a drone carrying an explosive device.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Philippi was driven by a violent white supremacist ideology and had meticulously planned the attack. He had conducted extensive research into explosive devices and potential targets and had even conducted reconnaissance of the substation he intended to attack.
The FBI had been monitoring Philippi since June 2024, when he expressed his desire to commit a mass shooting at a YMCA facility in Columbia, Tennessee. In July 2024, he shifted his focus to attacking large interstate substations, believing that such an attack would cause other substations to malfunction. He concluded that firearms would not be sufficient for such an attack and decided to use a drone with explosives attached to it .
On November 2, 2024, Philippi participated in a Nordic ritual, after which he and undercover FBI agents drove to the operation site. The agents moved to their assigned positions as lookouts for Philippi. Law enforcement agents arrested Philippi as he was at the rear of the vehicle, with the drone powered up, and the explosive device was armed and located next to the drone.
"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 . "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. I am grateful to the public servants of the FBI for their extraordinary work on this case and for the work they do every day to keep our country safe."
If convicted, Philippi faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
