In accordance with an affidavit within the case, each suspects had been out on probation following earlier incarcerations.

Russell, who was the founding father of the neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen, allegedly started his communications in June 2022 with an FBI confidential informant. Russell was accused of encouraging the informant to hold out the assaults in opposition to crucial infrastructure “when there may be biggest pressure on the grid” and “when everyone seems to be utilizing electrical energy to both warmth or cool their houses.”

Russell supplied to attach the informant with Clendaniel in December communications.

A recorded dialog with the informant on Jan. 29, uncovered Clendaniel’s plan to focus on 5 substations within the Baltimore space inside the identical day, together with ones in Norrisville, Reisterstown and Perry Corridor.

“[Clendaniel] described how there was a ‘ring’ round Baltimore and in the event that they hit a variety of all of them in the identical day, they ‘would utterly destroy this complete metropolis,’” the affidavit alleged.

Russell and Clendaniel are scheduled to seem in federal court docket on Monday, Feb. 6, Clendaniel in Baltimore and Russell in Orlando.