Man Planned to Use Drone-Borne Explosives to Attack Tennessee Substation, FBI Alleges
U.S. federal authorities arrested a 24-year-old man for allegedly trying to blow up a Tennessee power station as part of an accelerationist, white supremacist plot to disrupt American society.
Skyler Philippi is charged with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and attempted destruction of an energy facility.
According to the FBI, Philippi had expressed a desire to commit a mass shooting at a YMCA facility near Columbia, Tennessee, earlier this year, but then allegedly shifted focus to attacking large interstate substations to “shock the system” and cause other substations to malfunction. He allegedly concluded that attacking a substation with firearms would be insufficient, so he planned to use a drone with explosives attached to it to fly into the substation, the FBI said.
The FBI worked with confidential human sources and undercover FBI employees to gather intelligence about Philippi’s alleged plans since June 2024. On 2 November, Philippi allegedly drove with undercover operatives to the operation site, and law enforcement officials arrested Philippi.
“When he was taken into custody, Philippi was at the rear of the vehicle, with the drone powered up, and the explosive device was armed and located next to the drone,” according to the FBI.
During the alleged planning process, Philippi texted to a confidential source that “if you want to do the most damage as an accelerationist, attack high economic, high tax, political zones in every major metropolis.”
Accelerationists are far-right actors who use terroristic tactics to advance their goals—often the complete collapse of American society—and they are frequently aligned with white supremacist ideologies.
In the criminal complaint charging Philippi, FBI special agent Angelo DeFeo wrote that “Based on my training, experience, and this investigation, I know that accelerationism refers to a white-supremacist belief that the existing state of society is irreparable and that the only solution is the destruction and collapse of the ‘system.’ Accelerationism is premised on the idea that steps can be taken to speed up the collapse of the system, to wit: the destruction of the U.S. power grid, among other acts of violence.”
Accelerationism is often used in the context of white genocide or white replacement conspiracy theories, which posit that white people are under threat, according to an explainer from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD). Extremist accelerationist groups largely started in the United States but have produced offshoots in Europe and Australia.
Accelerationists see a collapse of modern societal structures and political systems as the only means through which to stop these perceived injustices—at its core, the concept is “an encouragement of civil discord that employs an ‘ends justify the means’ approach towards violence,” the ISD added.
FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement that the defendent, driven by a “racially motivated violent extremist ideology,” allegedly planned to attack the power grid with a drone and explosives, leaving thousands of Americans and critical infrastructure like hospitals without power.
“The FBI’s swift work led to the detection and disruption of the defendant’s plot before he could cause any damage,” Wray continued. “We are committed to holding accountable anyone who threatens the security of our critical infrastructure or seeks to harm American communities through domestic violent extremism.”
