Law enforcement officials have arrested a neo-Nazi leader who planned to attack power plants in Baltimore.

 

Law enforcement officials have arrested a neo-Nazi leader who planned to attack power plants in Baltimore.  According to prosecutors, Brandon Russell, 27, planned to use gunfire to attack five substations with the help of a female accomplice. Russell met Sarah Clendaniel, 34, when they were both incarcerated in different prisons. The suspects were arrested after they spoke with an informant.  They are being charged with conspiracy to destroy an energy facility and could each face up to 20 years in prison if convicted. According to prosecutors, Russell is a member of Atomwaffen, a neo-Nazi group he founded in 2015. According to law enforcement, attacks on the power grid reached an all-time high of 163 in 2022, up 77% from 2021. A single attack in North Carolina left more than 45,000 people without power in 2021.