NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Skyler Philippi, 24, of Columbia, pleaded guilty Wednesday to attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to destroy an energy facility, admitting he planned a drone-delivered explosive attack on a Nashville-area electrical substation.
Federal officials said Philippi spent months preparing: surveilling a target, acquiring what he believed were explosives, and outfitting a drone for an attack intended to “do something big.” The FBI disrupted the plot and arrested Philippi as he prepared to attach an explosive device to the drone near the intended operation site.
“Philippi planned what he hoped would be a devastating attack on Nashville’s energy infrastructure,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg, noting the FBI’s intervention. Acting U.S. Attorney Robert E. McGuire for the Middle District of Tennessee praised investigators and prosecutors for stopping an attack that “could have victimized our community.” Assistant Director Donald Holstead of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division said the case underscores the Bureau’s priority to protect critical infrastructure and public safety…