Law enforcement officials reported last week that they had apprehended Brandon Russell and Sarah Clendaniel, the suspects in the case, in Florida and Maryland, respectively.
The federal authorities said the plan had "racial or ethnic motivations."
At 27, Russell is the founder of the Atomwaffen Division, a neo-Nazi organization that aspires to cause the breakdown of society, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights group.
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An informant reported to the FBI in June that Russell had contacted him, wanting to mount an assault on electrical substations and providing detailed instructions on how to cause the maximum amount of destruction. This information was included in the criminal complaint against the two individuals.
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According to federal authorities, Russell was able to link up the informant with Clendaniel. The two discussed strategies for targeting power stations in and around the city of Baltimore.
The duo and informant acted quickly as Clendaniel mentioned she had a terminal kidney condition and "and was unlikely to live more than a few months," the criminal complaint states.
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Officials declared that Clendaniel, aged 34, had her sights set on five power stations located in Norrisville, Reisterstown, and Perry Hall, Maryland, as well as two more near Baltimore, as stated in the complaint.
Clendaniel reportedly said that attacking all five targets would form a "ring" around Baltimore, which "would completely destroy this whole city" if done on the same day.
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Thomas J. Sobocinski, the head of the FBI's Baltimore office, revealed that the suspects were determined to incapacitate the entire metropolitan area.
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"The accused were not just talking but taking steps to fulfill their threats and further their extremist goals. Russell provided instructions and location information. He described attacking the power transformers as the greatest thing somebody can do," Sobocinski said.
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"Their actions threatened the electricity and heat of our homes, hospitals and businesses.”
In 2018, the FBI became aware of Russell when his Muslim roommate took the lives of two of their other roommates who had been teasing him about his religious beliefs, as stated in the criminal complaint. The investigation into the killing in Tampa, Florida, revealed Russell's association with Atomwaffen, according to federal authorities.
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