Physical Attacks on Electricity Infrastructure: Extremist Messaging, Plots, and Action

This week’s revelation about a drone’s close encounter with a Pennsylvania power substation joins other troubling indicators of the physical threat to energy infrastructure as expressed by extremists of varying ideologies.

A Joint Intelligence Bulletin from DHS, FBI and the National Counterterrorism Center to law enforcement said that on July 16, 2020, a small, four-rotor off-the-shelf drone was discovered on the top of a building next to the power substation. Nylon ropes hanging from the drone dangled a two-foot curved piece of copper wire, and analysis of the device indicated that this was likely intended to short circuit the substation in “the first known instance of a modified UAS likely being used in the United States to specifically target energy infrastructure.”

The operator of the drone still has not been identified; the UAS camera, memory storage card, and all identifiable markings had been removed, indicating that the operator was trying to avoid identification and was also likely “within visual line of sight of the intended target” while flying the drone. The bulletin notes that the incident, which did not result in any disruption to the power grid, was first included in an August 2020 DHS report disseminated on the Homeland Security Information Network and was resurrected to raise awareness about the potential capability of modified drones.

The bulletin cited other too-close-for-comfort drone operations near critical infrastructure and stressed that while these incidents could be the result of drone operators who lack awareness of their flight paths, potential illicit activity cannot be ruled out and targeting of other critical infrastructure facilities using UAS is expected.