A Georgian national known as “Commander Butcher,” alleged leader of the white supremacist “Maniac Murder Cult,” appeared in federal court in Brooklyn on Friday following his extradition from Moldova to face a litany of horrifying charges, including an attempted plot to distribute poisoned candy to children on New Year’s Eve 2023.
Michail Chkhikvishvili was extradited to the U.S. on Thursday after being detained in the Eastern European nation for nearly a year, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced.
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The accused neo-Nazi’s alleged 2023 holiday plot was reportedly designed to specifically target racial minorities and children attending a Jewish school in Brooklyn.
According to the DOJ, Chkhikvishvili planned for an accomplice disguised as Santa Claus to distribute the tainted treats. The DOJ also detailed accusations that Chkhikvishvili actively recruited his cult members to carry out bombings against Jewish people and racial minorities.
Authorities have also linked Chkhikvishvili to a broader web of violence. He is allegedly tied to a January 2024 school shooting where a 17-year-old gunman livestreamed his attack on Antioch High School in Nashville, Tennessee, before taking his own life. Further allegations connect him to a knife attack in Turkey in August 2024 and a murder in Romania in April 2022, according to 6ABC Action News.
In a press release, United States Attorney General Pam Bondi characterized Chkhikvishvili as “a white supremacist, [who] recruited others to participate in a violent campaign of hatred against racial minorities and the Jewish community and to engage in the mass killing of children and others in these communities using poison, suicide bombs, firearms, arson fires, and vehicle explosions.”
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FBI Director Kash Patel acknowledged Moldovan authorities’ cooperation in securing the extradition in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday.
Christopher Raia, FBI Assistant Director in the Counterterrorism Division, stated that the extradition “is a clear sign the FBI, our Joint Terrorism Task Force, and law enforcement partners are committed to protecting our nation and city and will bring any individual desiring to enact racially motivated violence to justice.”
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch also lauded the collaborative efforts of the NYPD, FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the DOJ. “This extradition demonstrates the reach and the determination of American law enforcement agencies to track down the most dangerous and depraved of criminals,” Tisch said.
US Attorney General Bondi emphasized the gravity of the threat, stating, “This case is a stark reminder of the kind of terrorism we face today,” and condemned “online networks plotting unspeakable acts of violence against children, families, and the Jewish community in pursuit of a depraved, extremist ideology.”
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