Michail Chkhikvishvili, a 21-year-old Georgian national and leader of a violent group, was arraigned Friday in New York after being extradited from Moldova on charges that he was plotting a mass-casualty terrorist attack in Manhattan, according to federal authorities.
Newsweek has reached out to Chkhikvishvili’s lawyer for comment via email on Saturday. Newsweek filed out an online contact form seeking comment from the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Saturday.
Why It Matters
Last July, Chkhikvishvili, who is the leader of the Maniac Murder Cult, a group that goes by many names and acronyms including MKY, was arrested in Moldova, where he has been held prior to his extradition. He was arrested following the release of a four-count indictment “charging him with soliciting hate crimes and acts of mass violence in New York City,” a DOJ press release stated.
He was extradited to the United States on Thursday, a move praised by U.S. law enforcement officials.
What To Know
Chkhikvishvili was arraigned in a federal court in Brooklyn on Friday where he pleaded not guilty through his attorney, Samuel Gregory, who requested that his client be placed under psychiatric evaluation, according to the Associated Press.
The DOJ has repeatedly said the group that Chkhikvishvili leads “adheres to a neo-Nazi accelerationist ideology and promotes violence and violent acts against racial minorities, the Jewish community and other groups it deems ‘undesirables.’” The 21-year-old is also known as “Commander Butcher.”
The indictment alleges that Chkhikvishvili was planningto have an associate dress as Santa Claus and distribute poisoned candy to “racial minorities” in New York City as part of a mass-casualty attack planned for New Year’s Eve.
The plan was intended to create widespread fear and chaos, according to specific instructions Chkhikvishvili reportedly provided to an undercover Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officer he believed was a recruit. These instructions included manuals on creating lethal poisons and gases, which he allegedly shared with the undercover officer.
His arrest followed an alleged attempt to enlist the undercover officer in carrying out violent crimes that were part of a broader scheme to incite terror that included bombings and arson, according to federal prosecutors. His arrest followed an investigation led by the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, a multiagency team of federal, state and local law enforcement officials.
If convicted, Chkhikvishvili faces serious years-long prison sentences, including a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment for solicitation of violent felonies, five years’ imprisonment for conspiring to solicit violent felonies, 20 years’ imprisonment for distributing information pertaining to the making and use of explosive devices and poison, and five years’ imprisonment for transmitting threatening communications.
What People Are Saying
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a May 23 press release: “This case is a stark reminder of the kind of terrorism we face today: online networks plotting unspeakable acts of violence against children, families, and the Jewish community in pursuit of a depraved, extremist ideology. The Department of Justice will not tolerate hate-fueled violence, and we will pursue those who threaten innocent lives wherever they may be.”
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in the DOJ’s press release: “This defendant allegedly planned to poison Jewish children and carry out mass murder in New York City…This extradition demonstrates the reach and the determination of American law enforcement agencies to track down the most dangerous and depraved of criminals.”
United States Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York said in the May 23 press release: “As alleged, the defendant, a white supremacist, 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. Today’s extradition is a giant step forward in holding the defendant accountable for his unspeakably reprehensible and vile efforts to spread fear, chaos, and hate.”
What Happens Next
A status conference in the case is scheduled for June 11.
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