Neo-Nazi leader sentenced for plotting attack on Maryland power grid

Brandon Clint Russell, leader of a neo-Nazi group, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for plotting to attack Maryland’s power grid in what prosecutors called a terrorist plan, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland said Thursday.

Russell’s sentence will be followed by a lifetime of supervised release.

Russell, 29, of Orlando, Florida, was found guilty on Feb. 4 of one count of conspiracy to damage an energy facility. Prosecutors said he and co-conspirator Sara Beth Clendaniel planned to blow up several Baltimore Gas and Electric substations in the Baltimore area in 2023.

Russell, a co-founder of Atomwaffen Division, a neo-Nazi organization, has admitted to holding National Socialist and white supremacist beliefs. He also subscribes to accelerationism, an ideology that claims society is beyond repair and advocates violence to bring about radical social change, prosecutors said.

Read more: WJZ