...
By Sophie Clark
Live News Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
A neo-Nazi is facing 20 years in prison for conspiring to start a race war in the majority-Black city of Baltimore by attacking the power grid.
Brandon Russell, 29, who is a self-proclaimed "National Socialist," is the cofounder of Atomwaffen Division (AWD) meaning atomic weapon in German, which he started as a teenager in 2015. This group believes in "accelerationism," which is the violent overthrow of the government in order to fuel societal collapse.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland has been contacted via email for further comment.
Read More on U.S.
...
Why It Matters
Newsweek reported in December 2022, that the FBI was investigating three times as many domestic terrorism threats as they were five years ago. This is in part due to threats stemming from January 6, as the FBI defines 'terror' as a plot against the government.
Anti-government militias in the U.S. have seen a rise in recruitment following January 6, 2021. Now, following the mass Presidential pardon of January 6 rioters, leaders of the Proud Boys, Three Percenters, and Oath Keepers have returned to their organizations which are dedicated to overthrowing the current U.S. order.
What To Know
At the federal District Court of Maryland in Baltimore, Russell, of Orlando, Florida, was convicted by a jury of conspiracy to damage an energy facility after pleading not guilty, following a six-day trial.
The FBI Baltimore Joint Terrorism Task Force had investigated Russell as well as Sarah Beth Clendaniel, a woman recruited by Russell for his attack which was prevented when they were arrested in February, 2023.
Per the Justice Department (DOJ) report on Russell's conviction, the pair planned to attack energy facilities which transmitted and distributed electricity across the Baltimore regional power grid. This would create $75 million of damage.
Clendaniel stated that if they were able to attack all of their targeted substations in one day they "would completely destroy this whole city." She said "[i]t would probably permanently completely lay this city to waste if we could do that successfully."
Clendaniel was also found guilty of conspiracy to damage an energy facility as well being a felon in possession of a firearm. She faces a sentence of 18 years and 15 years concurrently for those charges, and a lifetime of supervised release.
Russell will be sentenced at a later date.
...
Russell's attorney, Ian Goldstein, had argued that although Russell was a "cheerleader" for white supremacy, he was located in Florida throughout the planning of this attack, and had no plans to travel to Baltimore to carry them through himself, per AP reporting.
Goldstein argued that Russell, therefore, could not be not a coconspirator in the attack itself, because he could not have been there to physically assist with it. He argued that while Russell held "repulsive" views, he was not responsible for this conspiracy.
The prosecution, however, said that Russell acted as a "team leader" to his "warrior" in Clendaniel. They provided the jury with evidence from a confidential informant who connected with Russell via the encrypted social media app, Telegram. Russell then connected that informant with Clendaniel who hoped to buy a gun off him for the attack.
The jury deliberated for less than one hour and returned with a guilty verdict for the only charge that Russell faced.
According to the AP, Russell had previously pleaded guilty to possession of an unregistered destructive device and improper storage of explosive materials after investigators searched his home and found a stash of highly explosive materials and a cache of neo-Nazi signs, posters, books and flags.
What People Are Saying
Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland said: "Hate-fueled violence has no place in a civilized society. Brandon Russell went well beyond his First Amendment rights, orchestrating a terrorist plot that would have harmed thousands of innocent people. It won't always be popular, but this office will do the right thing, the right way, for the right reason."
William J. DelBagno, of the FBI Baltimore Field Office said: "Brandon Russell, a self-proclaimed National Socialist, conspired to 'lay waste to the city of Baltimore' through violence and destruction of critical infrastructure. Today's verdict reinforces there is no tolerance for those who seek to harm our communities and use violence to further hate-filled beliefs."
What Happens Next
Russell is facing a maximum of 20 years in prison for his attempt to attack the Baltimore grid.
The Middlebury Center for Terrorism, Extremism and Counterterrorism, warned in 2023 that Russell's organization is a "core group of the accelerationist movement," and that it's popularity as a brand "points to larger national security threats as AWD's legacy continues to inspire accelerationist movements and complications start arising with evaluating the legitimacy of threats associated with AWD."
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines