A 21-year-old man from the Republic of Georgia, Michail Chkhikvishvili, allegedly the leader of an extremist group named the Maniacs Murder Cult, has been indicted on charges related to planning a terroristic event in New York City targeting Jewish children. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Chkhikvishvili faces four charges, including soliciting hate crimes and acts of mass violence. Prosecutors described the group as an international extremist organization following a neo-Nazi accelerationist ideology that supports violence against racial minorities and the Jewish community.
The group’s alleged goal, as stated by prosecutors, is to disrupt social order and governments through terrorism and acts of violence that instill fear and chaos. Chkhikvishvili was arrested after attempting to recruit an undercover law enforcement officer to participate in violent activities like bombings and arsons. The group was reportedly planning a “mass casualty event” in New York City on New Year’s Eve, involving someone disguised as Santa Claus distributing poison-laced candy to minorities and Jewish school children in Brooklyn.
Court documents revealed that Chkhikvishvili had drafted detailed instructions for carrying out the plan and provided manuals on creating lethal poisons and gases. Since September 2021, prosecutors allege that Chkhikvishvili has been distributing a manifesto titled the “Hater’s Handbook,” which encourages violence targeting racial minorities and advocates for mass terror attacks, including school shootings and suicide bombings.
Officials stated that Chkhikvishvili traveled to New York City at least twice in 2022 and stayed with his paternal grandmother in Brooklyn. If convicted, he could face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for solicitation of violent felonies, five years for conspiring to solicit violent felonies, 20 years for distributing information on explosive devices, and five years for transmitting threatening communication.
