An 18-year-old New Jersey man with known sympathies to the Nazi ideology allegedly solicited another person to destroy an energy facility, and had plans to travel to Ukraine to fight for Russia, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday.
Andrew Takhistov, of East Brunswick, was arrested Wednesday and charged with charged with one count of soliciting another individual to engage in criminal conduct that involved destroying a public service enterprise group circuit breaker and substation.
"Andrew Takhistov was allegedly on his way to Ukraine to join the Russian Volunteer Corps when we arrested him on charges of recruiting an individual to destroy an electrical substation here in the United States in order to advance his white supremacist ideology," Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement. "I am grateful to the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force for their exceptional work disrupting this dangerous plot."
According to the criminal complaint, Takhistov in January began communicating on social media with a person he did not know was in fact an undercover law enforcement employee. Takhistov had a history of posting messages on the platform that referenced Adolph Hitler, praised mass shooters, encouraged violence against Black and Jewish individuals, expressed interest in traveling overseas to undergo paramilitary training, requesting advice about weapons, and disseminating manuals on how to construct homemade weapons.
In communications with the undercover operative, Takhistov allegedly repeatedly referenced "racially/ethnically motivated extremist [RMVE]" ideology, and his desire to advance that ideology through violence.
Takhistov allegedly told the undercover operative he planned to travel to Ukraine in July to join the Russian Volunteer Corps, because the organization was openly National Socialist, a reference to Germany's Nazi Party, and because they specialized in assassinations, attacks on power grids and other infrastructure sabotage.
Takhistov discussed sabotaging infrastructure with Mylar balloons or Molotov cocktails, and allegedly told the undercover operative that while he was in Ukraine, he wanted the undercover operative to carry out at least one such act.
One two occasions in June and July, "at Takhistov's direction," he and the undercover operative traveled to two different electrical substations in North Brunswick and New Brunswick. Takhistov allegedly "instructed" the undercover operative on how to sabotage the facilities.
Takhistov was arrested at Newark Liberty Airport on Wednesday, where he was planning to travel to Paris en route to Ukraine.
"This complaint alleges that the defendant's posts referenced Adolf Hitler, encouraged violence against Black and Jewish communities, praised mass shooters, and discussed causing death and destruction on a large scale," said U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger for the District of New Jersey. "The defendant was allegedly enroute to join the Russian Volunteer Corps, which he described as specializing in assassinations, attacks on power grids, and other infrastructure sabotage, so that he could act on his violent plans. We will not tolerate these kinds of alleged terroristic threats, and working with our partners, we will always be ready to root out and bring to justice anyone who attempts to carry out these acts."
if convicted Takhistov faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $125,000.
--with reporting by TMX
