NASHVILLE, TN – Skyler Philippi, 24, of Columbia, Tennessee, pleaded guilty to attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to destroy an energy facility.

According to court documents, Philippi planned to attack Nashville’s energy infrastructure using a drone equipped with explosives. He conducted reconnaissance of an electrical substation, researched explosives, and communicated his intent to use C-4 or TATP on a drone to disable the facility. Philippi was arrested on Nov. 2, 2024, after meeting undercover FBI employees at a hotel and preparing to attach an armed explosive to a drone.

Prosecutors stated Philippi had been motivated by violent extremist ideology, previously affiliating himself with Atomwaffen Division and the National Alliance. He also wrote a manifesto and spoke of attacking “high tax cities or industrial areas.”

Officials said Philippi initially expressed interest in committing a mass shooting at a YMCA in Columbia, Tennessee, before shifting his focus to energy infrastructure. The FBI disrupted his plans through the work of the Nashville Field Office’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Philippi will be sentenced on January 8, 2026. He faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The FBI Nashville Field Office investigated the case, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Kurtzman of the Middle District of Tennessee and Trial Attorneys Justin Sher and James Donnelly of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section prosecuting.