More than 10,000 people in Arkansas were dumped into a blackout Sunday following an attack on that state’s electric grid, the FBI said today, the third such attack in recent weeks.
The FBI said that two power poles had been intentionally cut in Lonoke County on Sunday, resulting in the outage.
The FBI said it would pay a $25,000 reward for information about the attacks.
And for good reason. The FBI suspects these attacks are linked with a third incident in September.
According to the FBI:
In the early morning hours of September 29, 2013, officials with Entergy Arkansas reported a fire at its Keo substation located on Arkansas Highway 165 between Scott and England in Lonoke County. Fortunately, there were no injuries and no reported power outages. Investigation has determined that the fire, which consumed the control house at the substation, was intentionally set. The person or persons responsible for this incident inscribed a message on a metal control panel outside the substation which reads, ‘YOU SHOULD HAVE EXPECTED U.S.’
