FBI and North Carolina authorities issue ‘active warrants’ for suspects in Moore County substation attack

‘If we would have found them easily, we would have had someone under arrest by now,’ Moore County deputies say

The FBI and North Carolina sheriff deputies have issued “active warrants” for suspects in an attack on Moore County substations that left 45,000 residents without power, according to reports.

The Moore County Sheriff’s Office told WRAL that multiple search warrants had been issued in relation to a targeted gunfire assault on two power grids overnight on Saturday.

The FBI has also been granted a federal order to obtain cell phone records to identify anyone who was near the two substations, according to WRAL.

“If we would have found them easily, we would have had someone under arrest by now,” a Moore County Sheriff’s spokesman told the news site.

Officials declared a state of emergency and imposed an overnight curfew after unknown assailants opened fire on the two substations 10 miles apart in Carthage and West End on 3 December, causing widespread power outages.

The FBI and sheriff’s deputies had been investigating a potential link to a drag queen show that was was held in Southern Pines on Saturday. But no motive has been released by authorities so far.

Investigators recovered nearly two dozen shell casings from a high-powered rifle close to the scene, CNN reported.

Elowyn Hoelscher, 7, stands in line at a food truck with her mother, Erika Hoelscher, at Red's Corner during the Moore County power outage on Monday in Southern Pines, N.C. (AP)

Officials announced a $75,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for Saturday’s attacks.

It has also emerged that the US Department of Homeland Security’s National Terrorism Advisory System issued an alert about potential threats to critical infrastructure three days before the Moore County attack.

An FBI poster released on Thursday sought information for the attacks on two substations in North Carolina at the weekend (FBI)

The memo, first obtained by NewsNation, warned of “physical attacks on substations using hand tools, arson, firearms and metal chains”.

The nationwide warning was issued after utility companies in the Pacific Northwest reported vandalism attacks on at least five power substations in November.

A spokesperson for Puget Sound Energy in Washington state told The Independent that two of its power stations were vandalised in late November.

“We are aware of recent threats on power systems across the country and take these very seriously,” the spokesperson said, adding that they appeared to be isolated attacks.

The Cowlitz County Public Utility District in Washington state also reported it had suffered damage to several power stations last month, a spokesperson for the utility company told the Seattle Times.

Utility company workers in North Carolina work to restore power to 45,000 residents (AP)

Utility companies in Oregon told KATU that two power stations in the Portland metro area had been damaged in deliberate attacks.

A “deliberate physical attack” occurred at a Bonneville Power Administration in Clackamas County over Thanksgiving weekend which briefly cut power to residents, spokesperson Doug Johnson told KATU.

The companies refused to reveal further details, however all confirmed that they were cooperating with the FBI.

A spokesman for the FBI’s Seattle field office told The Independent  in a statement that they could not confirm whether the incidents were connected.

“While we cannot comment on your specific questions, the FBI remains vigilant and works closely with our law enforcement partners on a daily basis to detect, disrupt, and dismantle any threats that may emerge.”

Three weeks before the 3 December attack, vandals targeted a substation in nearby Jones County that left 11,000 without power for two hours.