Racially Motivated U.S. Extremists May Plan Attacks on Energy Sites, Intel Warns

Domestic violent extremists, including those motivated by racially charged ideologies and those organized into armed militias, are likely plotting attacks on energy sites across the country, especially electricity infrastructure, according to a Department of Homeland Security memo obtained by Newsweek.

The report, dated January 24 and attributed to the Office of Intelligence and Analysis, was produced in response "to requests from electric sector security partners to assess the physical threat environment following increased domestic violent extremist (DVE) activity in 2020 and 2021."

It identified what it said was an ongoing threat to this critical sector.

"DVEs adhering to a range of ideologies will likely continue to plot and encourage physical attacks against electrical infrastructure," the memo read in bold text.

The trend comes amid an escalation witnessed by authorities for at least the past two years.

"DVEs have developed credible, specific plans to attack electricity infrastructure since at least 2020, identifying the electric grid as a particularly attractive target given its interdependency with other infrastructure sectors," the memo said.

"Absent significant technical knowledge or insider assistance, small-scale attacks are unlikely to cause widespread, multi-state power loss but may result in physical damage that poses risks to operations or personnel, according to a body of DHS and open source reporting," the report read.

DHS went on to detail a number of incidents, all of which took place prior to last year's 1/6 storming of the Capitol Building in Washington D.C., an event that attracted a number of elements associated with racially-motived organizations and militias, They occurred in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd, an act that triggered tense nationwide demonstrations that sometimes turned violent along racial lines.

One cited example discussed the threat posed to energy infrastructure by racist groups with a similar motivation to those who attempted to disrupt President Joe Biden's confirmation a year ago.

"As of December 2020, law enforcement was investigating the suspected
plans since 2019 of potential racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists
(RMVEs) who believe in the superiority of the white race to attack power stations
in the southeastern United States as part of an effort to "wreak havoc" in the
the event that they disagreed with the outcome of the November 2020 election,
according to Western media reporting quoting federal prosecutors," the report said.

In October 2020, four suspected white supremacist RMVEs were also charged with conspiracy to damage transformers in Idaho and surrounding states. In May of that same year, thee alleged militia violent extremists (MVEs) claiming adherence to the "Boogaloo" beliefs that seek to initiate a second civil war were charged for allegedly plotting to attack an electric substation in Las Vegas "as part of an attempt to incite riots and violence amid ongoing lawful demonstrations in the city."

And while law enforcement has grown more vigilant toward this threat, potential perpetrators have grown more savvy in avoiding surveillance.

"We assess that DVE use of encrypted messaging platforms and simple tactics associated with few indicators of suspicious activity will likely render these attacks difficult to detect," the memo said.

DHS also made reference to the often remote nature of electricity infrastructure potentially working in the favor of would-be saboteurs, a notion fueled by an April 2013 attack in which armed individuals opened fire on an electric substation in Metcalf, California, causing major damage before escaping. To this day, the perpetrators remain unidentified.

And online chatter throughout 2021 only continued to prove cause for concern.

"Online narratives over the last year have featured various attempts to inspire individuals with little or no training to target electricity infrastructure using simple tactics such as firearms, improvised incendiary devices (IIDs), and even common tools like hammers and power saws, according to DHS reporting," the memo said. "This media probably serves a dual purpose, providing guidance for untrained individuals to carry out successful attacks while avoiding detection, based on our review of recent law enforcement, government, and media reporting."

In June, one RMVE group "released a video and manifesto on an
encrypted messaging channel that called for lone wolf attacks against a range of
targets, including the electric grid, power plants, and other infrastructure,
according to DHS information."

Reached for comment, a spokesperson for DHS told Newsweek that the department "regularly shares information with federal, state, local, tribal, territorial, and private sector partners to ensure the safety and security of all communities across the country."

But the memo elicited major concerns from those tracking such threats as experts, former officials and within Congress itself.

"America knows no greater danger than right-wing extremism, which has been the dominant driver of domestic terror," Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), who sits on the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security, told Newsweek. "Racially motivated violent extremists who conspire to sabotage critical infrastructure here at home must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

As the threat described by DHS was considered ongoing, he expressed frustration with the lack of recent charges filed against those said to be actively plotting against the nation's power grid.

"That no recent charges have been filed is an abdication of the federal government's highest obligation: protecting the homeland from threats foreign and domestic," Torres said.

As for the timing of the release, Kristofer Goldsmith, CEO of the veteran-owned open-source intelligence firm Sparverius that monitors disinformation and extremism, told Newsweek he believed the memo was circulated in order to demonstrate to lawmakers the urgency of the issue and the Department of Homeland Security's desire for more resources to fight it.

"I imagine that DHS issued these details in the report because they recognize that they're stretched thin," Goldsmith said, "and they want to communicate to Congress that they need additional resources and statutory authority to ensure that an 'unknown unknown' doesn't show up in the form of a devastating attack against our national infrastructure."

Still, former Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Protection Brian Harrell said that "the utility industry is aware of these threats due to our ongoing relationship with our National Security partners."

"While any attack is significant, companies have worked to build redundancy and resilience into the power grid," Harrell told Newsweek. "Critical services that all Americans depend on, should never be used as part of a domestic terrorism plot."

And the racially motivated factor to these threats has come at a particularly sensitive time for the nation, with the Biden administration having set out to tackle extremism at home with moves such as the first-ever National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism released in July. Law enforcement continues to rank homegrown militants as among the most serious threats to U.S. national security.

One of the leading groups tracking this space is the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The group's president, Jonathan Greenblatt, said any and all threats should be taken seriously.

"When extremists say something you have taken them at their word and respond appropriately," Greenblatt told Newsweek. "When people say they want to harm us take them at their word."