The Justice Department has charged two individuals, Brandon Clint Russell and Sarah Beth Clendaniel, with conspiracy to damage energy facilities. The alleged plot was focused on attacking electrical substations encircling Baltimore, with the goal of “completely destroying” the entire city. According to court documents, the conspiracy was driven by ethnically or racially motivated extremist beliefs, with both individuals having a personal and online relationship. The FBI’s field office in Baltimore has described the pair as not just talking but actively taking steps to further their extremist goals.
The charges come when experts warn about increased attempts by extremist groups to attack power facilities. Clendaniel and Russell are scheduled to make their initial court appearances on February 6, with Clendaniel appearing in Baltimore and Russell in Florida. The defendants or their lawyers have not been available for comment.
In a recorded voice conversation last month, Clendaniel allegedly told an FBI source that targeting the energy facilities would “completely destroy this whole city.” According to the charging papers, Clendaniel and Russell sent the source information about the facilities, and Russell sent a video about a recent substation attack in North Carolina. The FBI also obtained a document allegedly written by Clendaniel that resembles a manifesto, in which she references Hitler and other notorious individuals.
Russell is said to have neo-Nazi beliefs and had started his own local National Socialist Group. Before the alleged conspiracy to attack the Maryland power grid, he had plotted with his roommates in Florida to attack energy facilities there. That alleged plot was revealed during an investigation into the murder of two of Russell’s roommates by another roommate in 2017.
The Justice Department says that Russell, under the username “Homunculus,” has been in contact with the FBI’s source since June 2022 and has made several statements about attacking critical infrastructure. At one point, he allegedly said that “putting holes in transformers is the greatest thing somebody can do” and floated other ideas to the source about attacking electrical substations. Using the usernames “Nythra88” and “Kali1889,” Clendaniel introduced herself to the FBI’s confidential source last month. She sought the source’s help obtaining firearms and said she wanted “to accomplish something worthwhile” before she died of a terminal illness.
The source discussed the plans with Homunculus for Clendaniel to participate in an attack on energy facilities. It taped a nearly two-hour voice conversation about the plot with Clendaniel on January 24. In a separate conversation five days later, Clendaniel told the source that the targets were facilities surrounding Baltimore.
In conclusion, the Justice Department’s charges against Brandon Clint Russell and Sarah Beth Clendaniel highlight the growing concern about the trend of extremist groups attempting to attack power facilities. The alleged plot, driven by ethnically or racially motivated extremist beliefs, was focused on attacking electrical substations surrounding Baltimore to completely destroy the city. The individuals are scheduled to make their initial court appearances on February 6.
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Neo-Nazi leader and Maryland woman allegedly plotted to ‘completely destroy’ Baltimore, Justice Department says