Neo-Nazi ‘murder cult’ leader extradited to the U.S. after capture in Moldova

The leader of an Eastern European neo-Nazi organization has been extradited to the United States from Moldova. Michail Chkhikvishvili, a 21-year-old from Georgia, was captured last summer for allegedly instructing an undercover federal agent to disguise himself as Santa Claus and distribute poisoned candy to Jewish children and other racial minorities.

Chkhikvishvili was arraigned in Brooklyn on numerous felonies, including soliciting hate crimes and acts of mass violence. During his court appearance, Chkhikvishvili pleaded not guilty through his attorney, Samuel Gregory, who requested a psychiatric evaluation and suicide watch for his client.

Gregory has not responded to requests for additional comments. Prosecutors have identified Chkhikvishvili, also known as “Commander Butcher,” as the head of the Maniac Murder Cult, an international extremist group promoting a neo-Nazi accelerationist ideology that incites violence against racial minorities, Jewish individuals, and others they deem undesirable.

The cult’s violent directives, disseminated through Telegram channels, have seemingly inspired real-life acts of aggression, including a school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee. Since 2022, Chkhikvishvili frequented Brooklyn, boasting about assaulting an elderly Jewish man and encouraging others via text to commit acts of violence for the cult.

In 2023, he engaged with an undercover FBI agent to recruit him into a plan that involved poisoning children at Jewish schools. In discussions with the agent, Chkhikvishvichvili expressed a wish to carry out a mass casualty attack, viewing the U.S. as a perfect target due to its firearm accessibility.

He was arrested in Moldova last July, where he remained until his recent extradition. Attorney General Pam Bondi described the case as a clear warning of the domestic terrorism facilitated by online networks plotting violence against vulnerable groups.