North Carolina Alami Fired Due To Power Plant Shooting: FBI Holds Investigation, Applicable Night Hours

FBI illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Shinsuke Ikegame)

JAKARTA - Residents in North Carolina's central region, the United States faced a second night without electricity as the weather freezes on Sunday, after evictions opened fire on two electric substations in what authorities called a "targeted attack."

The motive for the Saturday night vandalism is unclear, Sheriff Moore Countytangle Fields said. Due to the blackout, schools will be closed on Monday and potentially longer. The famous church on Sunday and golf resorts were disrupted.

The incident is being investigated by local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, Fields said.

Meanwhile, US Energy Minister Jennifer Granholm said on Twitter she had contacted Duke Energy Corp, which owns the substation, and the Department of Energy is working closely with other agencies to investigate and respond to the incident.

"FBI Charlotte is investigating intentional damage to the power facility in Moore County," the federal law enforcement agency said, referring to her office in Charlotte, North Carolina.

"We regularly relate to local law enforcement and private sector partners," the agency continued.

About 64 percent of Moore County's electricity customers remained without electricity on Sunday night in most rural areas about 90 miles (145 km) east of Charlotte, according to the poweroutage tracking site.us.

It is known, the lights started to go dark around 7pm. Saturday for 40,000 houses and businesses in Moore County. It was a "targeted attack. It was not random," said Fields. Utilities workers found the gate damaged and evidence of damage from gunfire on the equipment.

The outages could last until Thursday, said Jeff Brooks, a spokesman for Duke Energy, because of the extent of the damage.

Meanwhile, a curfew was imposed on Sunday evening and shelters that could accommodate up to 250 people were opened, officials said.