The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed the arrest of a Tennessee man “dedicated to white supremacist ideology” for an alleged plot to blow up a Nashville energy facility using a drone armed with explosives.
Skyler Philippi, 24, was arrested Saturday and is charged with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and attempted destruction of an energy facility.
“We welcome this arrest at a time when white supremacist and neo-Nazi ideologies are unfortunately being promoted nationwide, resulting in bias incidents and hate-motivated violence,” said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. “All of our nation’s leaders must speak out against these hate ideologies and repudiate those who follow and promote them.
He said CAIR has repeatedly condemned the promotion of white supremacist and neo-Nazi ideologies, and the resulting hatred and violence, nationwide.
In September, CAIR welcomed indictments unsealed by prosecutors in California charging two people with leading a white supremacist group that allegedly maintained a list of high-profile targets to assassinate and urging members to commit hate crimes.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com