The Department of Justice announced that a federal grand jury has indicted Michail Chkhikvishvili, a Georgian national and alleged leader of the “Maniac Murder Cult,” a Russian- and Ukrainian-based neo-Nazi group, for plotting a mass casualty terrorist attack and hate crimes in New York City.
According to the indictment, Chkhikvishvili, also known as “Commander Butcher,” solicited an undercover FBI agent to carry out an attack involving poisoned candy distributed to children attending Jewish school in Brooklyn and racial minorities on New Year’s Eve 2023. Chkhikvishvili allegedly provided the agent with detailed plans for the attack, including the purchase of poison materials and the potential enlistment of others to help carry it out.
The alleged extremist leader also shared a document titled “The Mujahideen Poisons Handbook,” which details how to manufacture poisons and is associated with designated foreign terrorist organizations like the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Chkhikvishvili repeatedly referred to Islamic jihad and expressed admiration for its ideology, according to the court document.
Chkhikvishvili’s arrest in Moldova on July 6 came after he was tracked down through an Interpol order. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison for soliciting violent felonies, five years for conspiring to commit violent penalties, and additional penalties for distributing materials related to the manufacturing of explosive devices and sending threats.
Chkhikvishvili’s alleged plan for the Santa Claus-themed attack was detailed in a copy of a text called the “Hater’s Handbook,” which was obtained by the FBI. The handbook, which is signed by Chkhikvishvili, states that its purpose is to spread chaos and continue the mission of ethnic cleansing and purification.
