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By: Hadassa Kalatizadeh
Police have foiled a plot by a New Jersey teen to annihilate PSE&G substations, impacting the power grid.
As reported by the NY Post, Andrew Takhistov, 18, described as a genocidal “White supremacist” began communicating online with an undercover officer in January. Federal investigators accuse the East Brunswick man of “soliciting another individual to destroy energy facilities” in North Brunswick and New Brunswick “in order to advance his white supremacist ideology.” Investigators say that Takhistov had allegedly asked for help from an undercover officer on a social media messaging platform, asking for advice on weapons, about disseminated manuals on how to construct homemade weapons and voicing his interest in traveling overseas for paramilitary-style training. He allegedly discussed the infrastructure sabotage with the undercover cop for months.
On Wednesday, Takhistov was arrested at Newark Liberty International Airport, “allegedly on his way to Ukraine to join the Russian Volunteer Corps when we arrested him on charges of recruiting an individual to destroy an electrical substation here in the United States in order to advance his white supremacist ideology,” US Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said. “I am grateful to the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force for their exceptional work disrupting this dangerous plot.” Authorities allege that the 18-year-old had spent some seven-months outlining his sinister plans to sabotage PSE&G’s electrical infrastructure.
Authorities say Takhistov took the undercover officer to two electrical substations in North Brunswick and New Brunswick on two separate occasions in June and July, talking about how to conduct an attack on an electrical substation. He had asked the undercover cop to take pictures of the substations, saying he wanted to share them with a friend in Russia. USA today reported, investigators allege that he instructed the officer to destroy a New Jersey energy facility with Molotov cocktails while he went overseas, including details about how to evade surveillance cameras, discreet parking locations, and escape plans, as per federal court papers. Takhistov is also accused of encouraging violence against different ethnic and religious groups, and making Adolf Hitler remarks and praising mass shooters, investigators allege.
“We allege Takhistov, who is only 18 years old, planned to travel overseas so he could learn lessons from Russians fighting in Ukraine on how to destroy power grids and other critical infrastructure. His alleged conversations and planned actions are chilling and were inspired by racially motivated violent extremism,” said FBI – Newark Special Agent-in-Charge James E. Dennehy. “Imagine the chaos and number of life-threatening emergencies if a large population of people in New Jersey lost power in the middle of the current heat wave,” Dennehy said in a statement.
Takhistov is charged with soliciting another individual to engage in criminal conduct. He is currently in police custody after appearing in court on Friday. Plea information was unavailable, per the Post. Should he be found guilty of the charge he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison as well as a $125,000 fine.
