The FBI announced it has charged a Tennessee man with attempting to destroy an energy facility and attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction as part of a plot to cause civil unrest and spark a civil war.

Agents arrested Skyler Philippi, 24, of Columbia, Tenn., on Nov. 2, according to the criminal complaint. The arrest was the culmination of a plot several months in the making to rig a drone with explosives and fly it into an electric substation near Nashville to disrupt power to the area.

“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,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a press release. “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.”

Philippi first made it on the FBI’s radar in June 2024, when he allegedly told a “confidential human source” (identified as CHS-1 in the complaint) that he wanted to commit a mass shooting at a YMCA facility in Columbia. CHS-1 introduced Philippi to a second source (CHS-2) who lived closer to Philippi and could meet him in person. The FBI said both sources are “reliable [and have] previously provided accurate information to the FBI in multiple investigations.”

CHS-2 and Philippi continued to talk over the phone and via text for the next month about Philippi’s plans and beliefs. The suspect discussed his desire to “do the most damage [by attacking] high economic, high tax, political zones” in major cities. He said he was working on a “threat report” on the best way to disrupt the electric grid, including by attacking substations. He also asked for the informant’s help stealing a train de-railer to wreck a train in Tennessee.

In August, CHS-2 met Philippi in person, where he introduced the suspect to an “undercover employee” (UCE-1). Philippe told UCE-1 that he had ties to various white supremacist groups including Atomwaffen Division, whose founder, Brandon Russell, was arrested by the FBI in 2023 for plotting to attack electric substations in Baltimore. (See Feds Charge Two in Alleged Conspiracy to Attack BGE Grid.)

Manifesto Outlines Racial Beliefs

Philippi shared portions of his “manifesto” with UCE-1, indicating his belief in “radical armed struggle [as] the only end to protecting and preserving our folk,” “accelerationism [as] a means to an end” and the need to destroy “the interconnected or otherwise globalized world.”

UCE-1 introduced Philippi to a second undercover employee, UCE-2, in September. Philippi told the two of his plans to cripple the power grid by attacking eight or more substations. He indicated he had studied previous attacks on the power grid in North Carolina and California with firearms. The complaint did not specify which attacks, but they may have included rifle damage to two substations in Moore County, N.C., in 2022 that knocked out power to 45,000 customers. (See Duke Completes Power Restoration After NC Substation Attack.)

However, Philippi told the undercover employees that he did not believe rifles could do enough damage to cause widespread outages. He said mounting explosives on a drone would be more effective. Philippi asked UCE-1 and UCE-2 to help him get the components to build the drone, which they provided to him later that month.

The three then drove to scout out substations in the Nashville area. During the drive the undercover employees introduced Philippi via phone to a third colleague, UCE-3, who Philippi asked to send him explosive materials including C-4 and black powder.

Philippi and the other agents then continued their scouting exercise, with Philippi outlining the plan for the others. The complaint emphasized his leadership of the plot, with Philippi suggesting the clothing the UCEs should wear to evade suspicion and telling them to wear leather gloves rather than latex and nitrile to avoid fingerprints.

Throughout October, Philippi worked on building the drone and obtaining more explosive materials. He ultimately was unable to build a working drone, so the UCEs helped him get another one at his request. He also asked the UCEs to build pipe bombs for him; the complaint said they replaced the black powder UCE-3 provided with “an inert substance” to prevent the bombs exploding.

Plot Disrupted in Final Stages

On Nov. 2, the UCEs picked Philippi up and gave him the drone, fake pipe bombs and the explosive he had ordered from UCE-3. The complaint did not specify whether UCE-3 provided actual explosive material. The UCEs drove him to a field where he conducted a test flight of the drone.

They then had lunch and drove to a hotel in Nashville where they “conducted a Nordic ritual” involving prayers to the Norse god Odin. The UCEs asked if Philippi still wanted to go ahead with the plan. He confirmed that he was “fully committed” and wanted to “do something big” that would be remembered in history. Philippi also revealed he had a handgun to shoot at police who tried to interfere with them.

After completing their preparations at the hotel, Philippi and the UCEs left to drive to the attack site. The UCEs left the vehicle, taking Philippi’s gun. Philippi went to the rear of their vehicle to prepare the drone and explosives, where law enforcement officers arrested him. The complaint said that when Philippi was arrested, he had powered up the drone, armed the explosive device and was preparing to attach the explosive to the drone.

Philippi’s charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison. Prosecutors with the Middle District of Tennessee and the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are handling the case, the Justice Department said.

“Dangerous threats to our critical infrastructure threaten every member of this community and will not be tolerated,” acting U.S. Attorney Thomas Jaworski for the Middle District of Tennessee said. “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.”