Tennessee man plotted to blow up power plant with drone, federal authorities say

The Justice Department (DOJ) announced charges against a Tennessee man on Monday for a plot to destroy a Nashville energy facility.

Skyler Philippi, of Columbia, Tenn., spent months in communication with undercover federal agents, planning a drone explosion that would have left thousands without power days before the general election.

Law enforcement arrested Philippi on site at the plant in possession of the powered up drone moments before the explosive devices were set to detonate, according to court documents.

“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,” Attorney General Merrick Garland released in a statement. “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.”

Officials say Philippi was motivated by the white supremacist ideology known as accelerationism that stems from neo-Nazi views. 

“Driven by a racially motivated violent extremist ideology, the Defendant planned to attack the power grid with a drone and explosives, leaving thousands of Americans and critical infrastructure like hospitals without power,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The FBI’s swift work led to the detection and disruption of the defendant’s plot before he could cause any damage.”

Philippi is charged with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and attempted destruction of an energy facility. This was not his first attempt to plan a violent event.

Philippi also allegedly plotted a mass shooting expected to take place at a Tennessee YMCA facility, according to the DOJ. 

In recent years, there’s been an uptick in attacks targeting power distribution sites including the 2020 Pennsylvania drone crash and 2022 North Carolina substation attack.