Poison sweet plot designed to make use of Santa costume to harm Jewish children in Brooklyn prevented – NBC New York
The chief of an japanese European neo-Nazi group has been extradited to america from Moldova following his arrest final summer season for allegedly instructing an undercover federal agent to decorate as Santa Claus and hand out poisoned sweet to Jewish youngsters and racial minorities, prosecutors stated.
Michail Chkhikvishvili, a 21-year-old from the republic of Georgia, was arraigned Friday earlier than a federal decide in Brooklyn on a number of felonies, together with soliciting hate crimes and acts of mass violence.
He pleaded not responsible by means of an lawyer, Samuel Gregory, who requested his shopper obtain a psychiatric analysis and be positioned on suicide watch whereas in custody. Gregory didn’t instantly return a message in search of remark.
Prosecutors described Chkhikvishvili, who additionally goes by “Commander Butcher,” because the chief of the Maniac Homicide Cult, a global extremist group that adheres to a “neo-Nazi accelerationist ideology and promotes violence and violent acts towards racial minorities, the Jewish neighborhood and different teams it deems ‘undesirables.’”
They stated the group’s violent solicitations — promoted by means of Telegram channels and outlined a manifesto known as the “Hater’s Handbook” — seem to have impressed a number of actual life killings, together with a college capturing in Nashville, Tennessee, earlier this 12 months that left a 16-year-old pupil useless.
Since 2022, Chkhikvishvili has traveled on a number of events to Brooklyn, the place he bragged about beating up an aged Jewish man and instructed others, primarily by means of textual content messages, to commit violent acts on behalf of the Maniac Homicide Cult, in accordance with courtroom papers.
When he was approached by an undercover FBI agent in 2023, Chkhikvishvili recruited the official to a scheme that “concerned a person dressing up as Santa Claus and handing out sweet laced with poison to racial minorities and kids at Jewish faculties in Brooklyn,” in accordance with the Justice Division.
He later recommended narrowing the main target to “useless Jewish children,” prosecutors stated, after noting that “Jews are actually in all places” in Brooklyn.
Describing his want to hold out a mass casualty assault, Chkhikvishvili stated he noticed america as “huge potential as a result of accessibility to firearms,” including that the undercover ought to take into account focusing on homeless individuals as a result of the federal government wouldn’t care “even when they die,” in accordance with courtroom papers.
He was arrested final July in Moldova, the place he was held previous to this week’s extradition.
In a press release, Lawyer Basic Pam Bondi stated the case was “a stark reminder of the type of terrorism we face at present: on-line networks plotting unspeakable acts of violence towards youngsters, households, and the Jewish neighborhood in pursuit of a wicked, extremist ideology.”
