More white supremacists targeting electrical grid attacks

A Columbia, Tennessee man is facing federal charges after he allegedly attempted to use a weapon of mass destruction to attempt to destroy a Nashville energy facility, according to the Department of Justice.

Skyler Philippi, 24, allegedly told a confidential human source about his desire to commit a mass shooting at a YMCA facility in Columbia in June 2024. The DOJ explains that he also told another confidential human source about the impact of attacking large interstate substations and said that attacking several substations would “shock the system,” causing other substations to malfunction.

“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.

On Nov. 2, 2024, he participated in a Nordic ritual, which included reciting a Nordic prayer and discussing the Norse god Odin. Philippi allegedly told the undercover that “this is where the New Age begins” and that it was “time to do something big” that would be remembered “in the annals of history.”

Man accused of attempting to use weapon of mass destruction to destroy Nashville energy facility, DOJ says