Summary

Brandon Russell, leader of the neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division, was convicted of conspiring to attack Maryland’s power grid in a terrorist plot.

Prosecutors say Russell recruited Sara Beth Clendaniel to shoot at multiple Baltimore-area substations, aiming to cause mass blackouts and societal disruption.

Clendaniel, who took a plea deal, received 18 years in prison. Russell previously served five years for possessing explosives.

Officials estimate the planned attack would have caused $75 million in damages and widespread outages. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

  • Treczoks@lemmy.world
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    14 hours ago

    As a confirmed Nazi, he’ll be probably at the top of Trumps next pardon list. He needs hardworking, dedicated people like that in the field.

    • Etterra@discuss.online
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      12 hours ago

      He’s not so much cutting wires as he is flailing a chainsaw uncontrollably at everything within reach.

  • WamGams
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    19 hours ago

    This is a really strange fucking case.

    He was inspired by an instruction manual that definitely had ties to formal intelligence, rather it be ours, Russia’s or somebody else’s.

    There was also a Christmas day power grid attack back in 2022 in Washington state that appears connected to that specific instruction manual, but essentially all information regarding that case is wiped.

    But going back to this guy the article is about, a few years prior he made contact with an older gentleman who wrote published white terror manifestos. This case forced the FBI to reveal that the older gentleman had been an FBI source since the 1970s and had even funded the publishing of some of his nazi material.

    This case is terrifying and the more people who learn about it the better.

    • Hobbes_Dent@lemmy.world
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      21 hours ago

      Then he can go install a server in there. They can clean out the staff while he deals with the paperwork.

  • adarza
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    20 hours ago

    has the dipshit or diaper named an energy secretary yet? new candidate here.

  • BigFig@lemmy.world
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    20 hours ago

    Wait a second. The plea deal person got 18 years and the orchestrator is only facing a possible 20??

    • Nougat@fedia.io
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      20 hours ago

      This made me have to dig into articles again.

      From what I can tell, “During the sentencing hearing, Judge Bredar explained these charges could have elevated the sentence because the plot promoted domestic terrorism.” Then another article refers to her pleading guilty to two charges, and facing a maximum of 20 years in prison. Same charge as Russell got the full 20 for.

      Which means that her plea deal was to drop domestic terrorism charges, which surely would have carried an even worse sentence. If it’s the difference between getting out when you’re 56 or never, you choose 56.

      The interesting thing is that Russell apparently wasn’t charged with domestic terrorism. Either he’s got a crazy good lawyer, or Sarah Beth Clendaniel did something that crossed her over the line.

    • Embargo@lemm.ee
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      20 hours ago

      Yeah, man. It only makes sense when you stack it next to 20 years for downloading the Deepseek app. U.S.A!

  • catloaf@lemm.ee
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    20 hours ago

    The dumbest part is that it might have caused a temporary regional outage, but nothing more. One substation going out isn’t going to start a race war.