NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) – A Columbia man is accused of trying to use a drone to take down an electrical facility in Nashville.

Federal agents announced the arrest Monday, where Skyler Philippi was allegedly in the back of a vehicle and ignited a drone with an explosive device next to the drone. Philippi is charged with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and attempted destruction of an energy facility. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering U.S. sentencing guidelines and other legal factors.

“Driven by racially motivated extremist ideology, the defendant allegedly planned to attack the power grid with a drone and explosives, knocking out power to thousands of Americans and critical infrastructure such as hospitals,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The FBI’s quick work enabled the defendant’s plot to be detected and thwarted before it could cause any harm. “We are committed to holding accountable anyone who threatens or plans to damage critical infrastructure or seeks to harm American communities through domestic violent extremism.”

To plan the attack, authorities said he set out in September with undercover FBI employees to an electrical substation to conduct an investigation. Authorities said Philippi purchased black powder for homemade bombs and C-4 explosive composition.

“If you want to do the most damage as an accelerationist, attack the high-tax political and economic zones in every major metropolis,” Philippi told the confidential informant.

Referring to the substation, Philippi later said: “Shit. “This is going to go off like a fucking 4th of July firework.”

Beginning in June 2024, federal authorities said Philippi told a confidential human source of his desire to commit a mass shooting at a YMCA facility located in or around Columbia. In July 2024, Philippi told another confidential informant about the impact of attacking large interstate substations, saying that attacking multiple substations would “shock the system” and cause other substations to malfunction.

“According to the charges, Skyler Philippi believed he was about to launch an attack on a Nashville energy facility to promote his violent white supremacist ideology, but the FBI had already compromised his plot,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “This case serves as yet another warning to those who seek to sow violence and chaos in the name of hate by attacking our country’s critical infrastructure: the Department of Justice will find them, we will thwart their plot, and we will hold them accountable. “I thank the public servants of the FBI for their extraordinary work on this case and for the work they do every day to keep our country safe.”

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Road trip to see some of our neighbors’ best Halloween decorations

This year, Americans are expected to spend about $12 billion on candy, costumes and decorations. In recent years, it seems like a lot more people are putting in the effort to decorate their homes. Forrest Sanders had the opportunity to visit several communities in the center of the state to see some of those Halloween decorations.

-Lelan Statom