Officials warn of more extremist attacks in aftermath of plot targeting Maryland energy stations
BALTIMORE -- Federal officials fear more white supremacist groups may be plotting to target critical infrastructure across the country.
Earlier this week, FBI arrested two alleged neo-Nazis planning to destroy power substations in the Baltimore area.
On Monday, Catonsville resident Sarah Beth Clendaniel, 34, was charged after allegedly collaborating with Brandon Russell, who is the co-founder of "Atomwaffen," an Orlando-based neo-Nazi group, to shoot energy stations in Norrisville, Reisterstown, Perry Hall and Baltimore City.
"There's no doubt in my mind that 2023, this year that we're in right now, is probably going to be the most catastrophic when it comes to the uptick of domestic violence extremist attacks on electricity infrastructure," said Brian Harrell, former Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Protection at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Lanette Clendaniel, the mother of Sarah Clendaniel, spoke with WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren on Tuesday.
She admitted her daughter has neo-Nazi views but says she knew nothing of the plot.
Destroying the power grid has become a focus of some domestic terror groups and has prompted authorities and power companies to beef up security measures.
"This is not the Boogeyman," Harrell said. "A number of individuals and extremist groups online right now have already signaled that this is a part of their playbook."
BGE told WJZ in a statement: "We have a long-standing partnership with law enforcement and state and federal regulators of the grid to secure critical infrastructure; this work is even more important now as threats have increased in recent years. There are no currently known threats to any of our facilities."
Granger Morgan, an engineering professor at Carnegie Mellon University, said the the power system is inherently very vulnerable.
"And it may not take all that high tech an approach to cause physical disruption that could have very large consequences," Morgan said. "It's inherently very difficult to harden or protect it all. No one at the moment has authority to deal with the entire system, and we need to get that situation fixed."
Clendaniel's mom says her daughter suffers from a terminal illness and doubts she'll ever be released from prison.
Federal authorities have foiled other white nationalist plots in Maryland in recent years, including Coast Guard Lieutenant Christopher Hasson, who had a cache of weapons at his home in Silver Spring, and wrote, "I am dreaming of a way to kill almost every last person on the Earth through biological attacks and a bombing and sniper campaign."
Hasson is currently in federal prison.
So are several members of The Base, a white nationalist group with ties to Cecil County.
Federal authorities say they underwent tactical training, made their own weapons and stockpiled ammunition, hoping to start a race war before being arrested outside of Baltimore in 2020.
