Key takeaways from the recent court proceedings:

• Brandon Russell, co-founder of the neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division, was found guilty of conspiracy to damage an energy facility.
• Russell and accomplice Sarah Beth Clendaniel planned sniper attacks on electrical substations in Maryland to create chaos.
• The couple was arrested in February 2023 before any attacks were executed, but significant planning was uncovered.
• Prosecutors highlighted that the intended attacks aimed to target a majority-Black city, demonstrating racially motivated extremism.
• Russell faces up to 20 years in federal prison, while Clendaniel has already been sentenced to 18 years for her role in the conspiracy.

BALTIMORE — Brandon Russell, the long-time leader of a Florida-based neo-Nazi organization, was convicted on Monday for his role in a conspiracy to attack Maryland's power grid. The U.S. Attorney's Office announced the conviction, which stems from a 2023 plot that involved Russell encouraging his former girlfriend, Sarah Beth Clendaniel, to conduct sniper attacks against electrical substations near Baltimore in an effort to foster chaos and advance their extremist beliefs. The jury deliberated for less than an hour before reaching a guilty verdict on the charge of conspiracy to damage an energy facility.

The attack aimed to target multiple substations within the Baltimore region, which federal prosecutors noted could have caused severe disruptions. “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,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron, highlighting the gravity of the planned actions.

During the trial, federal prosecutors detailed how Russell, 29, not only co-founded the neo-Nazi group, Atomwaffen Division, but also aided Clendaniel in arming herself with high-powered rifles to carry out the intended sniper attacks. The duo's plans included a series of well-coordinated actions designed to inflict maximum damage on the electrical infrastructure, potentially leading to a cascading failure across the area. Clendaniel, 36, has already pleaded guilty to her role in the conspiracy, receiving an 18-year prison sentence.

Having previously faced legal issues regarding possession of explosive materials, Russell's extremist ideology was evident in his communications, where he laid out methods to destabilize the power grid during peak use times. His attorney contended throughout the trial that Russell had no concrete plans to execute the attacks himself, describing him as a mere "cheerleader" for the violent extremist ideologies.

Russell, who now faces a potential twenty-year sentence when he is sentenced later, represents a problematic trend of far-right extremist groups targeting critical infrastructure, an area that remains precariously vulnerable to such attacks. While the malicious intentions of Russell and Clendaniel were thwarted by law enforcement, the incident raises broader concerns regarding similar extremist plots against essential societal pillars.

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