Extremist Violence Leaves Thousands Without Power in North Carolina & Pacific Northwest

Updated February 6, 2023

• Brandon Russell, founder of the Neo-nazi organization Atomwaffen, and his girlfriend Sarah Clendaniel have been arrested for a plot to shoot at five Maryland power stations.
• Atomwaffen is an extremist far-right group that has previously used violence and murder in attempts to spark a race war in the U.S.
• According to prosecutors, they chose five electrical substations around Baltimore that would create a systemwide failure if attacked at the same time. 
• Similar attacks on the power grid in North Carolina and Oregon remain unsolved.
• The Department of Homeland Security recently warned that the United States is in a “heightened threat environment” and that critical infrastructure is a key target of extremist violence. 

What's the story?

• Last week, over 45,000 North Carolina residents were left without electricity after vandals intentionally targeted and shot at two power stations. A string of similar attacks has occurred in Oregon and Washington since mid-November, raising alarm nationwide. 
• The FBI believes these acts are examples of domestic terrorism and extremist violence increasing in the U.S. As the FBI investigates these attacks, the agency is encouraging the public to contact the FBI Tip Line to report any suspicious activity.

The growing pattern of extremist violence

• The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a bipartisan policy research organization, found that “acts of terrorism have occurred amid growing political polarization and the mainstreaming of extremist beliefs.”
• The CSIS reported that 2020 had the highest number of domestic terrorist attacks and plots recorded in the last three decades.
• On June 7, the Department of Homeland Security released an advisory warning that the country remains in a “heightened threat environment” due to the rise in domestic extremism threats.
• A U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) report stated that domestic extremists have been developing specific plans to attack electricity infrastructure.
• After the attack in North Carolina, Sen.Thom Tillis (R-NC) said:

"This appears to be an intentional, willful and malicious act, and the perpetrator will be brought to justice and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

• Granger Morgan, an engineering professor at Carnegie Mellon University, spoke to CBS about how vulnerable the U.S. power system is to domestic terrorists, saying that officials have known about the physical risks for decades.  

The effects of the power outage in North Carolina 

• 64% of residents in Moore County had no power for days after the incident, all while facing a spell of freezing temperatures. 
• Local, state, and federal law enforcement investigations are searching for the culprits and their motive for the crime, which shut down the county's schools, churches, businesses, and factories.

Similar attacks in the Pacific Northwest

• Two of the six recent attacks in Oregon bear similarities to the North Carolina attack, including damage caused by firearms.
• Bonneville Power Administration said in a statement on Thursday that it was seeking tips about “trespassing, vandalism and malicious damage of equipment” at a substation in Clackamas County, Washington. 

Do you think domestic terrorism is on the rise in America?

—Emma Kansiz

(Photo Credit: Twitter)