Leader of neo-Nazi death cult extradited to US for plot to poison Jewish children

Published on 23/05/2025 - 22:00 GMT+2

The leader of an eastbound European neo-Nazi group has been extradited to nan United States from Moldova pursuing his arrest past summertime for allegedly instructing an undercover national supplier to dress arsenic Santa Claus and manus retired poisoned candy to Jewish children and group minorities, prosecutors person said.

Michail Chkhikvishvili, a 21-year-old primitively from Georgia, was arraigned connected Friday earlier a national judge successful Brooklyn connected aggregate felonies, including soliciting dislike crimes and acts of wide violence.

He pleaded not blameworthy done an attorney, Samuel Gregory, who requested his customer person a psychiatric information and beryllium placed connected termination watch while successful custody.

Prosecutors described Chkhikvishvili, who besides goes by "Commander Butcher," arsenic nan leader of nan Maniac Murder Cult, an world extremist group that adheres to a "neo-Nazi accelerationist ideology and promotes unit and convulsive acts against group minorities, nan Jewish organization and different groups it deems 'undesirables.'"

They said nan group’s convulsive solicitations, promoted done Telegram channels and outlined a manifesto called nan "Hater's Handbook," look to person inspired aggregate existent life killings, including a school shooting successful Nashville earlier this twelvemonth that near a 16-year-old student dead.

Since 2022, Chkhikvishvili has travelled connected aggregate occasions to Brooklyn, wherever he bragged astir beating up an aged Jewish man and instructed others, chiefly done matter messages, to perpetrate convulsive acts connected behalf of nan Maniac Murder Cult, according to tribunal papers.

When he was approached by an undercover FBI supplier successful 2023, Chkhikvishvili recruited nan charismatic to a strategy that "involved an individual dressing up arsenic Santa Claus and handing retired candy laced pinch poison to group minorities and children astatine Jewish schools successful Brooklyn," according to nan Justice Department.

He later suggested narrowing nan attraction to "dead Jewish kids," prosecutors said, aft noting that "Jews are virtually everywhere" successful Brooklyn.

Describing his desire to transportation retired a wide casualty attack, Chkhikvishvili said he saw nan United States arsenic "big imaginable because accessibility to firearms," adding that nan undercover should see targeting bum group because nan authorities wouldn't attraction "even if they die," according to tribunal papers.

He was arrested past July successful Moldova, wherever he was held anterior to this week's extradition.

In a statement, Attorney General Pam Bondi said nan lawsuit was "a stark reminder of nan benignant of coercion we look today: online networks plotting unspeakable acts of unit against children, families, and nan Jewish organization successful pursuit of a depraved, extremist ideology."