The leader of a neo-Nazi extremist group in Eastern Europe is accused of plotting to spread terror by having an associate dress up as Santa Claus and distribute poisonous candy to Jewish children in New York City, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Michail Chkhikvishvili, a 21-year-old man from the Republic of Georgia, was charged with four counts, including inciting a hate crime and mass violence, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice. It was unclear whether he had a lawyer.
Chkhikvishvili, who went by various nicknames including “Commander Butcher,” allegedly led a “murderous cult” that prosecutors described as an international extremist group that adhered to “neo-Nazi Accelerationist ideology that promotes violence and violence against minorities, the Jewish community and other groups.” Groups it deems ‘undesirable’”.
The statement stated that the organization’s goal is to incite fear and chaos through terrorism and violence and disrupt social order and the government.
Chikovishvili was arrested after trying to recruit an undercover law enforcement officer to join his organization and commit violent crimes including bombings and arson, according to court documents.
In November, Chikovishvili began planning a “mass casualty event” for New York on New Year’s Eve, prosecutors said.
“The scheme involved an individual dressed as Santa Claus distributing poisonous candy to minorities and children at a Brooklyn Jewish school,” the Justice Department statement said.
He “drafted step-by-step instructions for executing the plan” and shared “detailed manuals on making and mixing deadly poisons and gases” with undercover officers, the statement said.
Prosecutors said that since September 2021, Chikovishvili had distributed a manifesto titled “The Hater’s Handbook,” in which he said he “murdered for the white race” and encouraged others to do the same.
“For example, among other things, the manual encourages readers to commit school shootings and use children to commit suicide bombings and other mass killings of minorities,” the Justice Department statement said.
“The document describes methods and tactics for conducting large-scale ‘terrorist attacks,’ including the use of vehicles to target ‘large outdoor festivals, rallies, celebrations, and parades’ and ‘populated streets.’ It specifically encourages attacks within the United States.”
Officials said Chikovishvili traveled to New York City at least twice in 2022 and lived with his grandmother in Brooklyn.
If convicted, Chkhikvishvili faces up to 20 years in prison for felony incitement of violence, up to five years in prison for conspiracy to commit a felony to incite violence, 20 years in prison for disseminating information about the manufacture and use of explosive devices, and up to 20 years in prison for disseminating threatening information. Communications and faces 5 years in prison.
