Man pleads guilty to attempting to use weapon of mass destruction to destroy Nashville energy facility

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - A man accused of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction to destroy an energy facility in Nashville has pleaded guilty.

The DOJ reports that 24-year-old Skyler Philippi entered his guilty plea on Tuesday.

“For months, Philippi planned what he had hoped would be a devastating attack on Nashville’s energy infrastructure. He acquired what he believed to be explosives, surveilled his target, and equipped a drone to attack an electrical substation. Motivated by a violent ideology, Philippi wanted ‘to do something big.’ Instead, the FBI disrupted his plans, and Philippi now awaits sentencing,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “The National Security Division and the FBI will continue to protect our Nation’s critical infras