Brandon Clint Russell

Brandon Clint Russell (born July 1, 1995) is a Bahamian and American neo-Nazi leader and the founder of the neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division in 2015.

In September 2017, Russell pleaded guilty in federal court to possessing an unregistered destructive device and illegally storing explosives; in January 2018, he was sentenced to five years in prison, but was released in August 2021. In February 2023, he was indicted for planning attacks on electric substations in Baltimore. He was subsequently convicted. On August 7, 2025, Russell was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Early life and education Brandon Clint Russell was born on July 1, 1995, in Florida. Iron March was a far-right neo-fascist and neo-Nazi web forum. The site opened in 2011 and attracted neo-fascist and neo-Nazi members, including militants from organized far-right groups and members who would later go on to commit acts of terror.

Russell visited Atomwaffen's ideological comrades, National Action, in the United Kingdom. He also went to meet with the leaderships of Golden Dawn, Nordic Resistance Movement, Russian Imperial Movement and CasaPound in a neo-Nazi event in the Russian Federation in 2015.

Tampa murders and first arrest In May 2017, Russell's friend and roommate Devon Arthurs was accused of killing two of his roommates and fellow Atomwaffen Division members with an assault rifle. Arthurs was arrested following a hostage situation in Tampa, during which he allegedly told police that he shot 22-year-old Jeremy Himmelman and 18-year-old Andrew Oneschuk earlier that day to prevent further violence. On the night of Devon Arthurs' arrest, then 21-year-old Russell was also arrested and questioned by local police and the FBI. While it was determined that Russell was not involved in the homicides, the deaths drew investigators' attention to a large stash of explosives in Russell's garage; they found ammonium nitrate, nitromethane, homemade detonators, and hexamethylene triperoxide diamine. HMTD has been used to make improvised explosive devices by groups such as Al-Qaeda, and ammonium nitrate and nitromethane were used by Timothy McVeigh, in the Oklahoma City bombing. The authorities also found thorium and americium, two radioactive substances, in Russell's bedroom. Russell had a framed photograph of Timothy McVeigh in his bedroom. The authorities also discovered guns, various Atomwaffen paraphernalia and neo-Nazi propaganda. Yet Russell was released.

In September 2017, Russell pleaded guilty in federal court to possessing an unregistered destructive device and illegally storing explosives; in January 2018, he was sentenced to five years in prison. On a separate occasion Russell also stated "I don't care how long you put me in jail, your Honor ... as soon as I get out, I will go right back to fight for my White Race and my America!'" He was released from prison on August 23, 2021.

Baltimore attack plot In February 2023, a federal grand jury indicted Russell for allegedly conspiring with Sarah Clendaniel, a woman from Maryland he met in prison, on planning attacks on electric substations in the Baltimore area. Russell allegedly shared open-source maps of infrastructure and pointed out substations he said would cause a "cascading failure" if they were taken out. A magistrate judge in Florida ordered Russell held pending trial. On February 4, 2025, Russell was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to damage an energy facility.

Prison sentence On August 7, 2025, Judge James K. Bredar sentenced Russell to the maximum 20 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release, rejecting arguments that he was less culpable than Clendaniel.

In prison, Russell has organized together with other former Atomwaffen members a neo-Nazi newsletter targeted at prisoners, White Prison Newsletter, that promotes neo-fascism and accelerationism. It has been endorsed by notable neo-Nazis inmates such as Robert Gregory Bowers. The Newsletter has also been promoted on the Internet by American Futurist.

Walter Bond, also known as “ALF Lone Wolf,” befriended Russell while serving his sentence for arson attacks against companies that sold animal products. After his release Bond drifted to ecofascism, associating with Atomwaffen Division and sharing "Third Reich–era vegan propaganda", which alienated some of his supporters within Animal Liberation Front.