East Brunswick Man Plotted To Blow Up PSE&G Facilities: Feds

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ —An East Brunswick man communicated with an undercover agent about blowing up a PSE&G facility in New Brunswick, Federal authorities said.

Andrew Takhistov, 18, was arrested Wednesday afternoon at Newark Liberty International Airport where he was planning to travel to Paris on his way to Ukraine, to join the Russian Volunteer Corps, authorities said.

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

“Andrew Takhistov was 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,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement.

“I am grateful to the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force for their exceptional work disrupting this dangerous plot.”

According to U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger, Takhistov’s posts referenced Adolf Hitler, he encouraged violence against Black and Jewish communities, praised mass shooters, and discussed causing death and destruction on a large scale.

“The defendant was allegedly enroute to join the Russian Volunteer Corps, which he described as specializing in assassinations, attacks on power grids, and other infrastructure sabotage, so that he could act on his violent plans,” Sellinger said.

“We will not tolerate these kinds of alleged terroristic threats, and working with our partners, we will always be ready to root out and bring to justice anyone who attempts to carry out these acts.”

According to court documents, in January, Takhistov began communicating with an individual on a social messaging platform who, unbeknownst to him, was an undercover law agent.

Takhistov had previously posted on the messaging platform, requesting advice about weapons, disseminating manuals on how to construct homemade weapons, and expressing interest in traveling overseas to engage in paramilitary-style training, according to court documents.

Throughout these posts, Takhistov referenced Adolf Hitler, encouraged violence against various ethnic and religious communities, including Black and Jewish people, and praised mass shooters.

In May, Takhistov told the undercover agent he was planning to travel to Ukraine in July to join the Russian Volunteer Corps, explaining that he chose this organization because it was openly National Socialist and, more importantly, specialized in assassinations, attacks on power grids and other infrastructure sabotage.

He also discussed infrastructure sabotage, specifically how to damage an electrical substation using Mylar balloons or Molotov cocktails, which Takhistov explained how to make.

In June and July, Takhistov and the undercover agent drove to two different PSE&G substations in North Brunswick and New Brunswick, with Takhistov instructing the undercover agent on how to conduct an attack on an electrical substation.

On July 5, during one of these meetings, Takhistov asked the undercover agent to take several photographs of the electrical substations so he could send them to his Russian friend for advice on how to best them.

Takhistov is charged with one count of soliciting another individual to engage in criminal conduct that involved destroying a public service enterprise group circuit breaker and substation. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $125,000 fine.

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