NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A 24-year-old Columbia man pleaded guilty Tuesday to attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to destroy an energy facility after federal agents thwarted his plan to attack Nashville’s power grid with explosives strapped to a drone.

According to prosecutors, Skyler Philippi spent months planning the attack, acquiring what he believed to be C-4 explosives, conducting surveillance of a local substation, and outfitting a drone to carry the bomb. Investigators say he was motivated by extremist ideology and sought to cause widespread power outages that could have crippled hospitals and other critical facilities.

Court records show Philippi discussed his plan with undercover FBI employees and confidential sources throughout 2024. He told them that shooti

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