Investigators believe a shooting that damaged power substations in North Carolina was a crime, but they haven’t identified a suspect or a motive. Here’s a look at what is known about the shooting and why it could have implications across the U.S.
The sheriff noted that the FBI was working with state investigators to determine who was responsible. He also said “it was targeted.”Duke Energy spokesman Jeff Brooks said that the company has multiple layers of security at each of its facilities but declined to provide specifics. He said that the company has planning in place to recover from events like the shooting and that they are following those plans.
The department wrote that attackers would be unlikely to produce widespread, multistate outages without inside help. But its report cautioned that an attack could still do damage and cause injuries.Members of white supremacist and antigovernment groups have been linked to plots to attack the power grid. In February, three men pleaded guilty to conspiring to attack U.S. energy facilities. Authorities said they wereFears of an attack on the nation’s electricity infrastructure are nothing new.
The attack involved snipping fiber-optic phone lines and firing shots into the PG&E substation. The FBI said at the time that it found no evidence that it was an act of terrorism. A Utah man was arrested in 2016 and later sentenced to federal prison time after he used a rifle to shoot the cooling fins of a substation, rupturing the radiator piping and causing the substation to overheat and fail. Court documents said the man had planned to attack other substations as part of an effort to take down power in a large chunk of the western United States.The vastness of American electricity infrastructure makes it difficult to defend.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
EXPLAINER: US power grid has long faced terror threatInvestigators believe a shooting that damaged power substations in North Carolina was a crime
Read more »
Thousands still in dark after ‘cowards’ shoot up North Carolina substationsMore than 33,000 North Carolina power customers remained in the dark and under curfew Monday two days after two electric substations were shot up in what officials said was a “targeted attack…
Read more »
Extensive power outage in North Carolina is being investigated as a 'criminal occurrence,' authorities say | CNNAn extensive power outage affecting nearly 40,000 customers in North Carolina's Moore County is being investigated as a 'criminal occurrence' after crews found signs of potential vandalism at several locations, authorities said.
Read more »
Mass power outage in North Carolina being investigated as possible crime, police sayThe power outages — which left at least 40,000 customers without electricity and rendered wastewater pumps out of order across the area — may have been caused by 'intentional vandalism' that damaged 'multiple' electric substations.
Read more »
Sheriff: Vandalism cuts power across North Carolina countyMoore County deputies and other law enforcement responded and were providing security at the affected sites, the sheriff's office said.
Read more »
Mass power outage in North Carolina being investigated as 'criminal occurrence'As power companies began responding to different substations, it was evident 'intentional vandalism' had occurred, authorities said.
Read more »