Neo-Nazi activist Brandon Russell, a key figure in the Atomwaffen Division, is on trial in the US accused of plotting to knock out the power grid in the city of Baltimore, triggering a race war.
The 29-year-old was arrested in February 2023 along with his girlfriend Sarah Clendaniel and could face 20 years’ imprisonment if found guilty of conspiring to destroy an energy facility.
The charges against Russell are a manifestation of the Biden administration’s hardline approach to tackling violent far-right extremism, which is expected to change under President Donald Trump.
Prosecutors believe Russell was motivated by the propagandist Terrorgram Collective, a far-right group which inspires its followers to commit mass casualty events through its publications.
The group has released four texts promoting chemical weapons attacks, infrastructure sabotage and ethnic cleansing, with three further compendiums due for release.
The publications are believed to have directly inspired attacks worldwide, including a mass shooting at an LGBTQ bar in Bratislava, Slovakia, in 2022.