A 24-year-old Tennessee man admitted Tuesday to plotting a drone attack on Nashville’s power infrastructure, a case that federal officials say underscores the rising domestic threat to U.S. critical infrastructure.

Skyler Philippi of Columbia, Tenn., pleaded guilty to attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to destroy an energy facility, according to the Justice Department. He faces a potential life sentence when he appears before a federal judge in January.

For months, Philippi laid out a plan that prosecutors say was as elaborate as it was chilling: building or modifying a drone, strapping it with high-grade explosives like C-4 or TATP, and flying it directly into an electrical substation to trigger a chain reaction capable of shutting down power to homes, businesses, and hospitals.

Philippi’s case has raised red flags in national security circles for its mix of violent extremist ideology, technical ambition, and symbolic targeting. He told undercover FBI agents he had drafted a “manifesto,” trafficked in antisemitic rhetoric, and aligned himself with neo-Nazi groups such as Atomwaffen Division and the National Alliance.

Court filings detail reconnaissance trips to a substation, online research into prior grid attacks, and the purchase of explosive components. At one point, according to the DOJ, he texted an informant: “If you want to do the most damage as an accelerationist, attack high economic, high tax, political zones in every major metropolis.”

Philippi was arrested last November after meeting undercover operatives in a Nashville hotel for what he described as a “New Age” ritual invoking the Norse god Odin. Prosecutors say he was preparing to attach explosives to a drone when agents moved in.

Senior national security officials framed the case as a stark reminder of both the vulnerabilities of America’s energy system and the persistence of accelerationist movements intent on exploiting them.

“Philippi planned to attack an energy facility with a drone containing explosives, which had the potential to knock out power to thousands of American homes and to critical facilities like hospitals,” said Donald Holstead, the FBI’s counterterrorism chief. “Protecting our communities from threats to public safety is a priority for the FBI.”

The attempted attack also highlights a broader trend: domestic extremists looking to move beyond firearms to weaponized drones and explosives, a shift that worries counterterrorism officials already grappling with a patchwork national power grid and an evolving threat landscape.

Philippi will be sentenced on Jan. 8, 2026.

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