Two people have been arrested for plotting an attack on substations across Baltimore, Maryland with the goal of ‘destroying’ the city

Neo-Nazi leader Brandon Clint Russell of Florida and career criminal Sarah Beth Clendaniel of Maryland face a series of criminal charges

Russell, 27 and Clendaniel, 34, have been accused of plotting to target the City of Baltimore’s energy grid 

‘Extremist’ couple were arrested last week arrested after plot to attack Baltimore energy grid thwarted by FBI

The suspects, who met while serving time in prison are linked to neo-Nazi groups

Russell plotted to maximize the impact of the planned energy grid attack by hitting multiple substations at one time, which he believed would cause a ‘cascading failure’

The planned attack is believed to have been driven by ‘racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist beliefs’ 

They face up to 20 years in prison for racially motivated plan to ‘lay city to waste

A Florida man and a woman from Maryland have been arrested after an extremist plot to destroy energy substations across Baltimore was thwarted by the FBI.
Sarah Beth Clendaniel, 34, of Maryland, and Brandon Clint Russell, 27, of Florida, have been charged with planning to target the city’s energy grid, with the attack believed to be driven by ‘racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist beliefs.’
The US Attorney’s Office in Baltimore announced their arrest on Monday. FBI agents took the couple into custody last week, as authorities said the two extremists planned to bring the city to a standstill.
Clendaniel and Russell now face a slew of criminal charges, including conspiracy to destroy an energy facility, with FBI officials saying that they believe a ‘real threat’ had been thwarted.
Images of the Maryland woman show her dressed in full tactical gear bearing swastika insignia, while Russell is allegedly a well-known neo-Nazi figure. Authorities said the couple has a documented ‘personal as well as online relationship.’

Clendaniel’s plan was unearthed after she was recorded by an FBI informant revealing the plot to destroy five substations across the city, according to an affidavit filed by an FBI agent. 
She revealed that if she and Russell hit all of their targets in the same day, they believed their plot would ‘destroy this whole city’ and that a ‘good four or five shots through the center of them’ was all it would take. 
She further added the attack ‘would probably permanently completely lay this city to waste if we could do that successfully.’
During their investigation, the FBI obtained a manifesto written by Clendaniel about the extremist plot, where she allegedly references notorious individuals including Hitler and the Unabomber Ted Kaczynski.
Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, said in a statement: ‘This planned attack threatened lives and would have left thousands of Marylanders in the cold and dark.
‘We are united and committed to using every legal means necessary to disrupt violence, including hate-fueled attacks.’ 
Brandon Russell, is a founding member of neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division, and he previously served time in prison for possessing bomb making materials. Sarah Beth Clendaniel was previously convicted for robbing convenience stores, and she has since been photographed wearing tactical gear bearing swastikas and Nazi-insignia

The city of Baltimore has a population of 580,000, with more 61 percent of black. Authorities believe the ‘racially motivated attack, posed a legitimate threat to the city’s residents.
The FBI Baltimore Field Office, said authorities they are continuing to look into extremist threats following the arrest, because ‘The threat posed by domestic violent extremists is evolving and persistent.
‘The FBI will continue to work closely with our law enforcement and private sector partners to identify and disrupt any potential threat to the safety of our citizens,’ feds said.
Brandon Russell, is a founding member of neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division, and he previously served time in prison for possessing bomb making materials. Russell was only released in 2018, from prison. Authorities say that he met

Brandon Russell, is a founding member of neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division, and he previously served time in prison for possessing bomb making materials. Russell was only released in 2018, from prison. Authorities say that he met Clendaniel while she was serving her own prison sentence for robbing convenience stores. 
Sarah Beth Clendaniel was previously convicted for robbing convenience stores, and she has since seen in a photo wearing tactical gear bearing swastikas and Nazi-insignia.
The two ex-convicts then hatched their extremist plot following their release from prison on probation.
The affidavit on their arrest alleges that Russell provided critical information and instructions for the attack, which he began plotting from at least June 2022 after he became driven by his ‘racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist beliefs.’

Russell is one of the founders of neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division, which plans on ‘ushering in the collapse of civilization’, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
The far-right figurehead caused controversy just six months into his prison sentence when he released a statement to his followers, who he thanked for their ‘undying loyalty.’
In his prison statement, he warned: ‘The sword has been drawn. There is no turning back.’
Russell plotted to maximize the impact of the planned energy grid attack by hitting multiple substations at one time, which he believed would cause a ‘cascading failure’, according to court documents.
He conspired with Clendaniel as the two also sought to secure weapons and identify appropriate substations to carry out the attack.
If convicted, Russell and Clendaniel each face a up to 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to damage an energy facility, prosecutors said.

As part of the thwarted attack feds said, the two extremists had planned to use numerous weapons to destroy several Baltimore substations simultaneously.
Former Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Brian Harrell pointed out Monday that attacks on energy facilities are an attractive target for those who seek to cause maximum damage, because they realize the crippling effect on industry, citizens, and local governments. Besides, ‘It’s difficult to protect all energy assets. This would have an enormous price tag that utility customers would have to pay.’