A Georgian national who goes by “Commander Butcher” and who plotted to poison Jewish children with ricin-laced poison pleaded guilty in federal court in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Monday, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
“The outstanding investigative work in this case saved untold lives and underscores the crucial behind-the-scenes activity of our federal law enforcement agents,” stated Pamela Bondi, the U.S. attorney general. “Violent, nihilistic, racist groups like these are an ongoing threat to the American people. Our vigilance will not waver as we protect our citizens.”
As a leader of the Maniac Murder Cult, an “international racially motivated violent extremist group,” Michail Chkhikvishvili recruited people to plan a “mass casualty attack in New York City,” the Justice Department said.
Chkhikvishvili traveled to Brooklyn in June 2022 and encouraged others, who turned out to be an undercover FBI agent, to commit violent hate crimes via encrypted communications platforms, per court documents.
In November 2023, he planned to have someone dress as Santa Claus and hand out candies to black children. He also plotted to target Jewish children in Brooklyn, including detailed instructions for creating lethal poisons and gases.
Chkhikvishvili, who faces up to 40 years in prison, inspired other attacks, according to the Justice Department, which stated that a shooter at a school in Nashville, Tenn., and an attacker in Turkey cited him in their manifestos.
