Kathrine Frich
A man linked to a violent neo-Nazi network has admitted to recruiting others to carry out attacks on Jewish communities in New York.
Prosecutors say one of his plans involved using a Santa costume to distribute poisoned sweets to children.
The case has exposed the scale of a broader extremist operation tied to what authorities describe as a cult-like organisation.
Extremist plotting
Michail Chkhikvishvili, a Georgian citizen known among followers as “Commander Butcher,” pleaded guilty this week to federal charges including soliciting hate crimes.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, he held a leadership position in the Maniac Murder Cult, a group that encouraged mass violence to advance its ideology.
Officials said Chkhikvishvili urged an undercover officer to dress as Santa Claus and hand out ricin-poisoned candy to “many racial minorities and traitors.”
The suggestion was one of several violent ideas he allegedly promoted through encrypted platforms.
He also circulated a manifesto titled the “Hater’s Handbook,” a document detailing methods for staging attacks at public events, festivals and crowded streets inside the United States.
Pushing followers to violence
Investigators say Chkhikvishvili used Telegram to call on supporters to commit shootings and other assaults.
Prosecutors allege he even encouraged using children to carry out suicide bombings aimed at ethnic and religious minorities.
“Chkhikvishvili’s monstrous plots and propaganda calling for racially motivated violence against civilians, including children, posed a grave threat to public safety,”
Assistant Attorney General John A. Eisenberg said. He added: “We condemn his despicable ideology and will use every tool at our disposal to bring such predators to justice.”
Authorities linked him to a January 2025 shooting at Antioch High School in Nashville, where the teenage gunman referenced Chkhikvishvili in a written manifesto before killing one person and taking his own life.
Legal consequences
Chkhikvishvili was indicted in July 2024 and later extradited from Moldova to face charges in the United States.
He has now admitted to soliciting hate crimes and providing bomb-making and ricin instructions to others.
“Michail Chkhikvishvili plotted extensive terrorist attacks targeting Jewish New Yorkers, including horrific plans to poison children,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
“This wasn’t just violent behavior, it was extreme antisemitism rooted in Neo-Nazi ideology that put communities here and around the world at risk.”
Sentencing will determine how long he will spend in prison for the offences.
Sources: Unilad, Daily Star, U.S. Department of Justice
