NJ extremist’s terror plot to cripple power grid in heat wave, prosecutors say

💥Andrew Takhistov, 18, charged in terror plot

💥Plan was revealed to undercover agent, prosecutors say

An East Brunswick man whose online posts on extremist social media platforms encouraged violence against Jews and Blacks was arrested just before he could fly to Ukraine, federal officials say.

Andrew Takhistov, 18, took to fringe social media sites to praise mass shooters and ask for "advice" about causing large-scale death and destruction, prosecutors said.

When Takhistov was taken into custody Wednesday, he was en route to join the Russian Volunteer Corps, a group that specializes in assassinations, attacks on power grids, and other infrastructure sabotage, according to New Jersey U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger. The far-right white supremacist organization based in Ukraine opposes the Russian government of Vladimir Putin but is not recognized by the Ukrainian military, which is defending against the Russian invasion.

Takhistov posted a recruitment ad online in January for an "employee" who would carry out an act of "serious activism" while he was in Ukraine, prosecutors said.

He began communicating with an undercover law enforcement agent about the plan, which involved using mylar balloons and Molotov cocktails, officials said.

In June, they drove to two PSE&G facilities in New Brunswick and North Brunswick where Takhistov explained the plan against each, Sellinger said.

Both facilities are located along NJ Transit tracks, according to the complaint in the case.

Final instructions lead to arrest

His final instruction for the employee before leaving for Ukraine was to take pictures of each facility. He intended to send them to a Russian friend for additional advice on how to best sabotage the stations.

“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,” FBI – Newark Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy said in a statement. "His alleged conversations and planned actions are chilling and were inspired by racially motivated violent extremism. Disrupting all of our lives was the goal."

Takhistov was charged with one count of soliciting another individual to engage in criminal conduct.

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom