The FBI has arrested a Neo-Nazi leader and a Maryland woman who is believed to have planned an attack on the Baltimore power grid and have been charged with conspiracy.
On Monday, the US Attorney for the District of Maryland, Erek Barron, said during a news conference that the suspects were identified as Sarah Beth Clendaniel of Catonsville and Brandon Clint Russell of Orlando, Florida.
Planned Attack on Baltimore Power Grid
The two suspects are thought to have plotted to shoot and destroy several electrical substations in the region of Baltimore in an attempt to further their extremist, violent, racial, and ethnic beliefs. An FBI special agent in charge of Baltimore's task force, Thomas Sobocinski, said that identifying and disrupting terrorist plots, both foreign and local, is one of the FBI's highest priorities.
Sobocinski said that damaging an electrical substation could result in power outages that would negatively impact hospitals, businesses, and homes. The official added that the two suspects had been plotting to attack Maryland substations since June and noted that the two individuals had a personal and online relationship, as per The Baltimore Sun.
Officials said that 34-year-old Clendaniel planned to get a rifle that he would use to assault five electrical substations. On the other hand, 27-year-old Russell shared maps of the energy facilities and discussed how to inflict the most chaos on the local power grid by targeting several substations simultaneously.
Sobocinski noted that the two suspects talked about taking steps to fulfill their plans and how to carry them out. The official said that Russell was responsible for instructions and local information. On the other hand, Clendaniel noted that she would "lay this city to waste."
Last week, members of the FBI Joint Terrorism Taskforce took the two suspects into custody. A conspiracy charges to damage an energy facility could hand out a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment.
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Laying Waste to City
Some of the five energy facilities that Clendaniel targeted include the Baltimore Gas and Electric substations located in Norrisville, Reisterstown, and Perry Hall. The criminal complaint noted that the other two were found near the city.
Clendaniel allegedly said that hitting the substations' center with four or five good shots would destroy the city. The affidavit also revealed that the two defendants were housed in separate prisons for past crimes and could communicate online.
The 34-year-old woman previously referenced Unabomber Ted Kaczynski and Hitler and was imprisoned in a Maryland jail for robbing convenience stores while holding a machete. According to Fox News, Russell was arrested for having bomb-making materials.
The arrest of the two individuals comes as many domestic violence experts warned that extremist groups' attempts to target power facilities are seeing a rising trend. On Monday afternoon, Clendaniel made her first federal court appearance in downtown Baltimore before District Court Judge Richard Collins.
She sat in the courtroom before the hearing, where she read parts of the criminal complaint against her, shaking her head as she flipped through the pages of the document. The suspect's court-appointed attorney, Kirstin Hopkins, consented to the government's request to keep the defendant detained pending further hearings, said CNN.
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