In this June 6, 2017 file photo, a reporter holds up an example of the amount of fentanyl that can be deadly after a news conference about deaths from fentanyl exposure, at The Drug Enforcement Administration headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
Three white supremacists planned to attack the country’s power grid in an attempt to incite a race war—and they were ready to die for their cause. According to their plea deals, the trio all wore “suicide necklaces” filled with fentanyl around their necks in case they were caught.One of the men, Jackson Sawall, 22, even ingested his capsule after being stopped by police, although he ultimately survived.
Sawall and his co-conspirators, Christopher Cook, 20, and Jonathan Frost, 24, each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to use powerful assault rifles to destroy power transformers located in various regions of the country, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The act of violence was set to be carried out sometime after either the 2020 or 2024 election in case President Donald Trump or a Republican successor lost a bid for the White House, the FBI alleged, according to USA Today.The three men believed that if successful, the loss of power on this scale would create an environment ripe for unrest and racial division among the American people—and also cost the U.S. millions of dollars, bringing about Great Depression-level financial chaos.
Frost, who lived in both Katy, Texas and West Lafayette, Indiana at the time, met Cook, who’s from Columbus, Ohio, online chat room in Fall 2019, according to federal authorities. There, Frost, who had white supremacist views, shared his plot about attacking state power grids with his like-minded co-defendant. Onboard with the plan, the duo agreed to begin recruiting people who’d be willing to help execute the plan. Later that year, Cook brought Sawall, a close friend of his based out of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, into the fold to help with recruitment efforts.The U.S. power grid has become a popular theoretical target for far-right extremists, especially among so-called “accelerationists,” who seek to break down society to stoke racial tensions. The ideology includes violent groups like Atomwoffen and The Base. At the beginning of the year, the Department of Justice warned that these groups have been plotting similar attacks since 2020 and will likely continue to.Cook even circulated a book online called “The Siege,” according to the DOJ, which accelerationist groups use to spread the idea that neo-Nazis have a duty to speed up the fall of Western society.“These defendants conspired to use violence to sow hate, create chaos, and endanger the safety of the American people,” U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker said. “As this case shows, federal and state law enforcement agencies are dedicated to working together to protect this country against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”
Early on in the plot, the responsibilities were divided: Frost would focus on the logistics of the plan while Cook and Sawall focused on recruitment, both online and off. The trio also created an online white supremacist chat group called “The Front,” where they’d speak to potential recruits. Cook would be in charge of the plan’s Northeast operation; Frost, the Southwest plan, and Sawall, the Midwest. Two unidentified juveniles were responsible for leading the effort in the Southeast and Northwest, according to the Department of Justice.
By February 2020, the three men met in person in Columbus, Ohio, to flesh out their plan. During the meeting, Frost gave Cook an AR-47 ghost gun, a weapon with no serial number that can be used to trace its history, which they used to train with at a local shooting range. Frost also provided both Sawall and Cook with their “suicide necklaces,” which they all agreed to swallow the lethal dose of the drug if caught by law enforcement, according to their plea deals. The group’s recruitment, however, wound up being their undoing. While on his way to hang flyers about “The Front” and vandalize a mosque in the Columbus area, Sawall was stopped by police.
By August 2020, the FBI searched the residences of all three men. During the searches, the agency discovered several pieces of evidence connecting them to the plot, including a cellphone used to connect with co-conspirators, “Nazi materials,” ghost guns, and chemical components consistent with the creation of explosives, according to the DOJ.
The three men face up to 15 years in prison for the failed scheme. They will also have to spend the rest of their lives on supervised release and pay a $250,000 fine.Want the best of VICE News straight to your inbox? Sign up here.
Sawall and his co-conspirators, Christopher Cook, 20, and Jonathan Frost, 24, each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to use powerful assault rifles to destroy power transformers located in various regions of the country, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The act of violence was set to be carried out sometime after either the 2020 or 2024 election in case President Donald Trump or a Republican successor lost a bid for the White House, the FBI alleged, according to USA Today.
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Frost, who lived in both Katy, Texas and West Lafayette, Indiana at the time, met Cook, who’s from Columbus, Ohio, online chat room in Fall 2019, according to federal authorities. There, Frost, who had white supremacist views, shared his plot about attacking state power grids with his like-minded co-defendant. Onboard with the plan, the duo agreed to begin recruiting people who’d be willing to help execute the plan. Later that year, Cook brought Sawall, a close friend of his based out of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, into the fold to help with recruitment efforts.The U.S. power grid has become a popular theoretical target for far-right extremists, especially among so-called “accelerationists,” who seek to break down society to stoke racial tensions. The ideology includes violent groups like Atomwoffen and The Base. At the beginning of the year, the Department of Justice warned that these groups have been plotting similar attacks since 2020 and will likely continue to.Cook even circulated a book online called “The Siege,” according to the DOJ, which accelerationist groups use to spread the idea that neo-Nazis have a duty to speed up the fall of Western society.“These defendants conspired to use violence to sow hate, create chaos, and endanger the safety of the American people,” U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker said. “As this case shows, federal and state law enforcement agencies are dedicated to working together to protect this country against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”
Early on in the plot, the responsibilities were divided: Frost would focus on the logistics of the plan while Cook and Sawall focused on recruitment, both online and off. The trio also created an online white supremacist chat group called “The Front,” where they’d speak to potential recruits. Cook would be in charge of the plan’s Northeast operation; Frost, the Southwest plan, and Sawall, the Midwest. Two unidentified juveniles were responsible for leading the effort in the Southeast and Northwest, according to the Department of Justice.
By February 2020, the three men met in person in Columbus, Ohio, to flesh out their plan. During the meeting, Frost gave Cook an AR-47 ghost gun, a weapon with no serial number that can be used to trace its history, which they used to train with at a local shooting range. Frost also provided both Sawall and Cook with their “suicide necklaces,” which they all agreed to swallow the lethal dose of the drug if caught by law enforcement, according to their plea deals. The group’s recruitment, however, wound up being their undoing. While on his way to hang flyers about “The Front” and vandalize a mosque in the Columbus area, Sawall was stopped by police.
By August 2020, the FBI searched the residences of all three men. During the searches, the agency discovered several pieces of evidence connecting them to the plot, including a cellphone used to connect with co-conspirators, “Nazi materials,” ghost guns, and chemical components consistent with the creation of explosives, according to the DOJ.
The three men face up to 15 years in prison for the failed scheme. They will also have to spend the rest of their lives on supervised release and pay a $250,000 fine.Want the best of VICE News straight to your inbox? Sign up here.