On Feb. 6, officials arrested a suspected neo-Nazi group member Brandon Russel of Florida and a Sarah Clendaniel of Maryland for planning an attack on the Baltimore power grid. Officials say the pair were racially motivated in this attack and had been planning it for months, aspiring to take out local substations in Norrisville, Reisterstown, and Perry Hall, leaving thousands in the city with no power. 

Russel has a long history of racist beliefs and plans to take out America’s infrastructure. These attacks were suspected to be specifically targeted toward people of color based off Russel’s extremist belief — with Baltimore’s population of primarily people of color making the city a perfect target for Russel.

Officials have stated that Clendaniel communicated with an FBI informant while conspiring these plans. If they were successful, the attack would have left families in the cold, potentially causing major suffering. 

When asked about how she feels about the security of these power grids, Mt. Hebron senior Laela Greenberg responded “I think that there could be more security put in place at the substations but I don’t think there is much more you can do. The officials did a good job of being informed about the situation before it could go anywhere.” 

Luckily, the FBI and state law enforcement were able to put a stop to these attacks using swift action to prevent what could have ended in a very dangerous situation for the city and the Maryland Substations. Thankfully no harm was done this time around, rather, a win in the books for the FBI and Maryland officials.