A Florida-based neo-Nazi group founder, Brandon Russell, was found guilty of conspiring with his former girlfriend, Sarah Beth Clendaniel, to plan an attack on Maryland's power grid in line with their racist beliefs. The plan involved carrying out sniper attacks on electrical substations around Baltimore to create chaos in the majority-Black city. Fortunately, the two were arrested before executing their plans.
Russell, 29, co-founded the neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division and had a history of involvement with extremist ideologies. He had previously pleaded guilty to possession of explosive materials and improper storage. During the recent trial, prosecutors presented evidence of Russell encouraging Clendaniel to obtain firearms for the attack, aiming to incite a race war.
