(LibertyInsider.org) – Authorities in Moldova arrested 21-year-old Michail Chkhikvishvili, a Georgian national, in response to an Interpol Wanted Person Diffusion (WPD), an informal request lodged by a member nation, similar to a red notice. Federal prosecutors with the Justice Department (DOJ) had issued the WPD seeking the suspect in connection with allegations that he was coordinating acts of mass violence and soliciting hate crimes in New York City, including plans to poison minority and Jewish children in Brooklyn using ricin-laced candy.
On Tuesday, July 16, a federal grand jury handed down a four-count indictment against Chkhikvishvili, according to a DOJ statement. Prosecutors charged him with conspiracy to solicit violent felonies, soliciting violent felonies, distributing information on the manufacture and use of explosive devices, and transmitting threatening communications.
Chkhikvishvili, who used the moniker “Commander Butcher” and “Butcher,” claimed to lead the Maniac Murder Cult, sometimes known as the MKY, a global extremist group promoting “neo-Nazi accelerationist ideology” through violent acts targeting the Jewish community, racial minorities, and other groups like the homeless.
US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace and others announced the charges and arrest. In his statement, Peace said the defendant sought “to spread hatred, fear, and destruction by encouraging bombings, arson, and even poisoning children.”
An undercover (UC) FBI agent working for the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) gained Chkhikvishvili’s trust, allowing him to infiltrate the MKY as a prospective member in July 2022. When he asked about formally joining the group in September 2023, Commander Butcher allegedly told him the group required proof of a candidate’s sincerity in the form of violent acts or “murder vids on camera.”
The UC agent alleged that Chkhikvishvili solicited his help to plan and execute a mass poisoning event on December 31, 2023. The MKY leader is reported to have provided the agent with a plan that included dressing as Santa, distributing poisoned candy to children and eluding authorities.
Chkhikvishvili also transmitted detailed steps for extracting ricin from common castor beans. Additionally, he allegedly sent instructional materials he obtained from designated terrorist organizations, including ISIS.
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