An eastern European neo-Nazi cult leader plotted to distribute lethally poisoned candy to Jewish and minority children in Brooklyn.
Michail Chkhikvishvili, 21, of the Republic of Georgia, faces charges of soliciting hate crimes and mass violence, a U.S. Department of Justice release details.
Chkhikvishvili is the leader of “Maniacs Murder Cult,” a neo-Nazi extremist group that promotes violence against Jewish people and minorities whom they call "undesirables" and "low race targets" according to the DOJ.
Court records show Chkhikvishvili was arrested after he tried to recruit an undercover cop to commit violence on behalf of his organization.
Chkhikvishvili had penned and distributed what he dubbed the “Hater’s Handbook” since 2021 to members of the hate group and made claims that he had “murdered for the white race,” the DOJ notes. The manifesto also encouraged school shootings and other acts of violent terrorism in public spaces.
Chkhikvishvili traveled to New York at least twice in 2022 and in 2023 first made contact with an undercover FBI agent, according to the DOJ. That November, Chkhikvishvili shared with the undercover cop step-by-step instructions for what he described as a mass casualty event involving an associate dressed as Santa Claus handing out poisoned candy to Jewish and minority children at Brooklyn schools on New Year's Eve.
The plans included instructions on how to make ricin.
Chkhikvishvili faces between 5 and 20 years in prison on each charge if convicted, according to the DOJ.
