This week, three men pleaded guilty for planning to attack power substations across the U.S. in furtherance of white supremacist ideology, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). The conspiracy involved assigning each individual a substation in a different region of the U.S. which they would then attack using high-powered rifles. The individuals believed their actions would cost the U.S. government millions of dollars and create social unrest in the country. “These defendants conspired to use violence to sow hate, create chaos, and endanger the safety of the American people,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for the Southern District of Ohio.

The plot began after two of the individuals met in an online extremist forum and started exchanging messages about attacking the power grid. Shortly after these individuals sought to recruit others, resulting in the successful recruitment of another individual. In February 2020, the co-conspirators met in Columbus, Ohio to further discuss their plot. One co-conspirator gave another an AK-47 and went with the others to a shooting range to train. Additionally, the individuals procured suicide necklaces filled with fentanyl; two of the conspirators expressed their commitment to dying in furtherance of their mission. This case is similar to past incidents of domestic violent extremists (DVEs) seeking to destroy critical infrastructure, specifically another DVE plot to target the power grid which WaterISAC reported on in August, and further underscores the persisting threat DVEs pose to the U.S.. Read more at the Department of Justice.