The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has arrested a 24-year-old Tennessee man, who is charged with plotting to use a weapon of mass destruction in a neo-Nazi-inspired plot to destroy an energy facility near Nashville; if convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of life in prison, according to the US Justice Department.
US Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said that the man, identified as Skyler Philippi, was "dedicated to white supremacist ideology and the destruction of the US critical infrastructure."
The 24-year-old “planned to attack Nashville’s power grid using a drone carrying an explosive device. Thanks to brave work by the FBI, his scheme was thwarted," Monaco added.
The FBI began investigating Philippi in June after a "confidential human source" who was in touch with him reported to the FBI his alleged desire to commit a mass shooting at a Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) facility near Columbia, Tennessee. Philippi was arrested shortly before the unmanned aerial vehicle was launched to attack the power plant.
Before the attack, on November 2, Philippi took part "in a Nordic ritual, which included reciting a Nordic prayer and discussing the Norse god Odin," the Justice Department said.
The man’s arrest comes a day before the beginning of the US presidential election, in which former President and Republican candidate Donald Trump faces Vice President and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.