The FBI captured two people, a nationally known neo-Nazi leader, before they could launch an attack on Baltimore’s power grid that could “completely destroy this entire city,” authorities said Monday.
The suspects, Brandon Russell and Sarah Clendaniel, were taken into custody last week in Florida and Maryland, respectively, officials said.
Federal authorities describe the alleged plot as “racially or ethnically motivated.” More than 61% of Baltimore residents are black.
Russell is one of the founders of the Atomwaffen Division, a neo-Nazi group bent on ” ushering in the collapse of civilization,” according to the Southern Center for Poverty Law. The group admires Charles Manson and supports “the idea of ​​violence by lone wolves,” according to the League against defamation.
The alleged plot was first spotted last June after an FBI informant claimed to have been contacted by Russell, who “wanted to attack electrical substations and gave guidelines on how maximum damage could be done,” according to the indictment filed against the FBI. had been submitted. couple.
Russell then put the informant in touch with Clendaniel, a Maryland resident, to plan an attack on stations in and around Baltimore, federal authorities said.
The pair and the informant worked with urgency, as Clendaniel said she was terminally ill with kidney disease “and was unlikely to live more than a few months,” according to the indictment.
Clendaniel had five stations in her sights, officials said, in Norrisville, Reisterstown and Perry Hall, Maryland, and two more “near Baltimore,” the indictment said.
Attacks on all five would form a “ring” around Baltimore and if they hit some of them all on the same day, they would “completely destroy this entire city,” Clendaniel reportedly said in a taped conversation, the indictment revealed.
Thomas J. Sobocinski, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Baltimore office, said the suspects were serious in their attempts to cripple the FBI. city ​​of 580,000.
“The accused were not only talking, but were taking steps to fulfill their threats and further their extremist goals. Russell provided instructions and location information. He described attacking the power transformers as the best thing anyone can do, said Sobocinski.
“Their actions threatened the electricity and heat of our homes, hospitals and businesses.”
Attacks on the country’s power grid came into focus in December after two high-profile incidents.
There were shootings at two power stations in central North Carolina in early December, officials said. At the height of the Duke Energy outage, more than 45,000 homes and businesses were in the dark.
That incident was followed by attacks on four power substations over the Christmas weekend near Tacoma, Washington, when about 14,000 homes and businesses were forced without power, officials said.
This is an evolving story. Check back later for updates.