Latest news with #ManiacMurderCult
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Yahoo
Parents warned following connection to Antioch school shooter and neo-Nazi ‘murder cult' leader
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — New court documents reveal a violent online cult may have influenced a deadly school shooting at Antioch High School earlier this year. The 17-year-old shooter, Solomon Henderson, reportedly claimed to act on behalf of a group called the 'Maniac Murder Cult.' 'Today you see someone, it's a young person, he is troubled, and he finds something online; maybe it's on the dark web, and there is some kind of hate speech, or there is something where all of the sudden he is able to relate to that,' said retired FBI Special Agent Scott Augenbaum. 'It doesn't happen all that often, but look what happens when it does.' RELATED: DOJ says leader of neo-Nazi 'murder cult' influenced Antioch school shooter Henderson left an audio message before the shooting, naming 'Commander Butcher' as his inspiration. That name, officials say, belongs to 21-year-old Michail Chkhikvishvili, a Georgian national who federal prosecutors believe is the alleged leader of the online extremist group. 'It's not always going to be on traditional websites like Facebook or X or Instagram; it is going to be hidden from plain sight,' Augenbaum said. 'The unfortunate thing is any high schooler with a computer can access this information really easily.' Chkhikvishvili was extradited to the U.S. and appeared in federal court in Brooklyn on Friday. He faces several charges, including soliciting hate crimes and encouraging acts of mass violence. Investigators say the group promotes a manifesto known as the 'Hater's Handbook' which they believe has inspired real-life killings. 'I was always get asked, 'Why can't law enforcement shut these things down?'' Augenbaum explained. 'Because a lot of them are anonymous. They are hidden to us.' Juvenile court records of Antioch school shooter released When tracking international online comments, Augenbaum said they have to navigate the line between hate speech and threats, saying it takes a direct threat for law enforcement to act. 'You can't monitor people's social media feeds just because they feel a certain way,' Augenbaum said. 'It becomes different when they post online that they are looking to kill U.S. citizens or violently overthrow the U.S. government.' He told News 2 it has been a challenge to keep up with the rapid rise of digital extremism. 'We've always been playing catch up,' Augenbaum said. 'These criminals, these extremists, are hiding their internet connection, which makes it very challenging.' Antioch High School Shooting | Continuing Coverage For parents, Augenbaum has a warning. 'We can't control the bad guys too, but we can control how we react, so these are the things for parents that if you see, your kid has some kind of an anonymous router, which is called a Tor router, that means they are on the dark web,' Augenbaum explained. 'I'm a father of two boys. There is nothing good that is gonna come out of them being on the dark web.' 'Cybercrime, extremist hate speech, we are seeing so much of it on the dark web, and parents make sure that your kids do not know more than you do,' Augenbaum concluded. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Time of India
25-05-2025
- Time of India
European 'neo-Nazi' leader extradited to US from Moldova over plot to poison Jewish kids
'Commander Butcher' Michail Chkhikvishvili The United States has extradited from Moldova the leader of an "an eastern European neo-Nazi group" for allegedly instructing an undercover US federal agent to dress as "Santa Claus" and hand out poisoned candy to Jewish children and racial minorities. Michail Chkhikvishvili, a 21-year-old from the Republic of Georgia, was arraigned Friday before a federal judge in New York's Brooklyn on multiple felonies, including soliciting hate crimes and acts of mass violence. Chkhikvishvili pleaded not guilty through an attorney, Samuel Gregory. The lawyer requested that his client receive a psychiatric evaluation, and be placed on suicide watch while in custody. "The case is a stark reminder of the kind of terrorism we face today: online networks plotting unspeakable acts of violence against children, families, and the Jewish community in pursuit of a depraved, extremist ideology," US attorney general Pam Bondi said in a statement, according to news agency AP. Chkhikvishvili leads 'Maniac Murder Cult': Prosecutors Prosecutors described the Georgian national, who also goes by 'Commander Butcher,' as the leader of the "Maniac Murder Cult," an international extremist group. The Maniac Murder Cult adheres to a 'neo-Nazi accelerationist ideology and promotes violence and violent acts against racial minorities, the Jewish community and other groups it deems 'undesirables.'' Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Kickstart your new journey with the Honda Shine 125 Honda Learn More Undo They alleged that the group's violent solicitations — promoted through Telegram channels and outlined a manifesto called the 'Hater's Handbook' — appear to have inspired "multiple real life killings," including one at a school in Nashville, Tennessee, earlier this year which left a 16-year-old student dead. Since 2022, Chkhikvishvili has made multiple visits to Brooklyn, where he bragged about beating up an elderly Jewish man and instructed others, primarily through text messages, to commit violent acts on behalf of the Maniac Murder Cult, according to court papers. When he was approached by the undercover FBI agent in 2023, Chkhikvishvili recruited the official to a scheme which 'involved an individual dressing up as Santa Claus and handing out candy laced with poison to racial minorities and children at Jewish schools in Brooklyn,' as per the Justice Department. Describing his "desire" to carry out a mass casualty attack, Chkhikvishvili said he saw the United States as 'big potential" because of accessibility to firearms." He suggested that the undercover FBI agent should consider targeting homeless people because the US government "wouldn't care even if they die." He was arrested last July in Moldova, where he was held until this week's extradition.
NBC News
25-05-2025
- NBC News
Leader of neo-Nazi 'murder cult' extradited to the U.S. from Moldova
NEW YORK — The leader of an eastern European neo-Nazi group has been extradited to the United States from Moldova following his arrest last summer for allegedly instructing an undercover federal agent to dress as Santa Claus and hand out poisoned candy to Jewish children and racial minorities, prosecutors said. Michail Chkhikvishvili, a 21-year-old from the republic of Georgia, was arraigned Friday before a federal judge in Brooklyn on multiple felonies, including soliciting hate crimes and acts of mass violence. He pleaded not guilty through an attorney, Samuel Gregory, who requested his client receive a psychiatric evaluation and be placed on suicide watch while in custody. Gregory did not immediately return a message seeking comment. Prosecutors described Chkhikvishvili, who also goes by 'Commander Butcher,' as the leader of the Maniac Murder Cult, an international extremist group that adheres to a 'neo-Nazi accelerationist ideology and promotes violence and violent acts against racial minorities, the Jewish community and other groups it deems 'undesirables.'' They said the group's violent solicitations — promoted through Telegram channels and outlined a manifesto called the 'Hater's Handbook' — appear to have inspired multiple real life killings, including a school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee, earlier this year that left a 16-year-old student dead. Since 2022, Chkhikvishvili has traveled on multiple occasions to Brooklyn, where he bragged about beating up an elderly Jewish man and instructed others, primarily through text messages, to commit violent acts on behalf of the Maniac Murder Cult, according to court papers. When he was approached by an undercover FBI agent in 2023, Chkhikvishvili recruited the official to a scheme that 'involved an individual dressing up as Santa Claus and handing out candy laced with poison to racial minorities and children at Jewish schools in Brooklyn,' according to the Justice Department. He later suggested narrowing the focus to 'dead Jewish kids,' prosecutors said, after noting that 'Jews are literally everywhere' in Brooklyn. Describing his desire to carry out a mass casualty attack, Chkhikvishvili said he saw the United States as 'big potential because accessibility to firearms,' adding that the undercover should consider targeting homeless people because the government wouldn't care 'even if they die,' according to court papers. He was arrested last July in Moldova, where he was held until this week's extradition. In a statement, Attorney General Pam Bondi said the case was 'a stark reminder of the kind of terrorism we face today: online networks plotting unspeakable acts of violence against children, families, and the Jewish community in pursuit of a depraved, extremist ideology.'
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Yahoo
DOJ says leader of neo-Nazi ‘murder cult' influenced Antioch school shooter
NEW YORK (AP/WKRN) — The leader of an eastern European neo-Nazi group has been extradited to the United States from Moldova following his arrest last summer for allegedly instructing an undercover federal agent to dress as Santa Claus and hand out poisoned candy to Jewish children and racial minorities, prosecutors said. Michail Chkhikvishvili, a 21-year-old from the republic of Georgia, was arraigned Friday before a federal judge in Brooklyn on multiple felonies, including soliciting hate crimes and acts of mass violence. He pleaded not guilty through an attorney, Samuel Gregory, who requested his client receive a psychiatric evaluation and be placed on suicide watch while in custody. Gregory did not immediately return a message seeking comment. Antioch High School Shooting | Continuing Coverage Prosecutors described Chkhikvishvili, who also goes by 'Commander Butcher,' as the leader of the Maniac Murder Cult, an international extremist group that adheres to a 'neo-Nazi accelerationist ideology and promotes violence and violent acts against racial minorities, the Jewish community and other groups it deems 'undesirables.'' They said the group's violent solicitations — promoted through Telegram channels and outlined a manifesto called the 'Hater's Handbook' — appear to have inspired multiple real life killings, including a deadly shooting at Antioch High School earlier this year. On Jan. 22, the Metro Nashville Police Department said 17-year-old Solomon Henderson opened fire inside Antioch High, killing 16-year-old Josselin Corea Escalante and injuring another student before taking his own life. Court filings show the attacker claimed he was doing it on behalf of the group MKY, which is another name for the Maniac Murder Cult. The U.S. Department of Justice said the Antioch gunman mentioned 'Commander Butcher' by name in the audio recording left before the shooting. Juvenile court records of Antioch school shooter released Since 2022, Chkhikvishvili has traveled on multiple occasions to Brooklyn, where he bragged about beating up an elderly Jewish man and instructed others, primarily through text messages, to commit violent acts on behalf of the Maniac Murder Cult, according to court papers. When he was approached by an undercover FBI agent in 2023, Chkhikvishvili recruited the official to a scheme that 'involved an individual dressing up as Santa Claus and handing out candy laced with poison to racial minorities and children at Jewish schools in Brooklyn,' according to the DOJ. He later suggested narrowing the focus to 'dead Jewish kids,' prosecutors said, after noting that 'Jews are literally everywhere' in Brooklyn. Describing his desire to carry out a mass casualty attack, Chkhikvishvili said he saw the United States as 'big potential because accessibility to firearms,' adding that the undercover should consider targeting homeless people because the government wouldn't care 'even if they die,' according to court papers. ⏩ He was arrested last July in Moldova, where he was held prior to this week's extradition. In a statement, Attorney General Pam Bondi said the case was 'a stark reminder of the kind of terrorism we face today: online networks plotting unspeakable acts of violence against children, families, and the Jewish community in pursuit of a depraved, extremist ideology.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CTV News
24-05-2025
- CTV News
Leader of neo-Nazi 'murder cult' extradited to the U.S. from Moldova
NEW YORK — WARNING: This story contains disturbing content The leader of an eastern European neo-Nazi group has been extradited to the United States from Moldova following his arrest last summer for allegedly instructing an undercover federal agent to dress as Santa Claus and hand out poisoned candy to Jewish children and racial minorities, prosecutors said. Michail Chkhikvishvili, a 21-year-old from the republic of Georgia, was arraigned Friday before a federal judge in Brooklyn on multiple felonies, including soliciting hate crimes and acts of mass violence. He pleaded not guilty through an attorney, Samuel Gregory, who requested his client receive a psychiatric evaluation and be placed on suicide watch while in custody. Gregory did not immediately return a message seeking comment. Prosecutors described Chkhikvishvili, who also goes by 'Commander Butcher,' as the leader of the Maniac Murder Cult, an international extremist group that adheres to a 'neo-Nazi accelerationist ideology and promotes violence and violent acts against racial minorities, the Jewish community and other groups it deems 'undesirables.'' They said the group's violent solicitations — promoted through Telegram channels and outlined a manifesto called the 'Hater's Handbook' — appear to have inspired multiple real life killings, including a school shooting in Nashville, Tenn., earlier this year that left a 16-year-old student dead. Since 2022, Chkhikvishvili has traveled on multiple occasions to Brooklyn, where he bragged about beating up an elderly Jewish man and instructed others, primarily through text messages, to commit violent acts on behalf of the Maniac Murder Cult, according to court papers. When he was approached by an undercover FBI agent in 2023, Chkhikvishvili recruited the official to a scheme that 'involved an individual dressing up as Santa Claus and handing out candy laced with poison to racial minorities and children at Jewish schools in Brooklyn,' according to the Justice Department. He later suggested narrowing the focus to 'dead Jewish kids,' prosecutors said, after noting that 'Jews are literally everywhere' in Brooklyn. Describing his desire to carry out a mass casualty attack, Chkhikvishvili said he saw the United States as 'big potential because accessibility to firearms,' adding that the undercover should consider targeting homeless people because the government wouldn't care 'even if they die,' according to court papers. He was arrested last July in Moldova, where he was held prior to this week's extradition. In a statement, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the case was 'a stark reminder of the kind of terrorism we face today: online networks plotting unspeakable acts of violence against children, families, and the Jewish community in pursuit of a depraved, extremist ideology.' Jake Offenhartz, The Associated Press
