Georgian national Michail Chkhikvishvili, known by several aliases including Mishka and Commander Butcher, has been extradited to the United States from Moldova. He faces charges related to soliciting hate crimes and planning acts of mass violence in New York City. The 21-year-old was arrested in Chișinău, Moldova, in July 2024, following a four-count indictment in the Eastern District of New York.
Chkhikvishvili is identified as a leader of the Maniac Murder Cult (MKY), an international extremist group promoting racially motivated violence. According to court documents, he recruited individuals to carry out violent acts aligned with MKY's ideologies, which included plans for a mass casualty attack in New York City.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi commented on the case: “This 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.” She added that the Department of Justice will not tolerate such violence.
FBI Director Kash Patel stated: “The defendant is accused of recruiting others to kill Jewish people, kill racial minorities, and providing instructions on how to commit other lethal attacks — even targeting children around the holidays by poisoning candy.” He acknowledged cooperation between U.S. authorities and Moldovan officials leading to Chkhikvishvili’s extradition.
U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York remarked on Chkhikvishvili’s alleged actions: “As alleged, the defendant sought to kill Jewish and racial minority children here in New York to further his Neo-Nazi ideologies... Now he faces reckoning in a federal courtroom.”
Since September 2021, Chkhikvishvili distributed a manifesto called "Hater’s Handbook," encouraging mass violence. This document outlines strategies for terror attacks within the United States.
In June 2022, Chkhikvishvili traveled to Brooklyn and began using encrypted messaging platforms like Telegram to incite others toward violent acts. His communications included collaborating with another neo-Nazi group leader and an undercover FBI employee posing as an MKY recruit.
By November 2023, he allegedly planned a New Year’s Eve attack involving poisoned candy distributed by someone dressed as Santa Claus targeting racial minorities. Later developments focused specifically on Jewish communities in Brooklyn.
The FBI's investigation revealed that Chkhikvishvili shared detailed plans for bombings and poisonings while referencing radical Islamist jihadist groups like ISIS.
If convicted on all counts related to solicitation of violent felonies and distribution of explosive device information among others, Chkhikvishvili could face up to 50 years imprisonment combined across multiple charges.
The investigation involved multiple agencies including the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force alongside local law enforcement bodies like NYPD and federal entities such as U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ellen H. Sise and Andrew D. Reich are prosecuting this case with support from various departments within the Justice Department.
It is important to note that an indictment serves merely as an allegation; defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in court proceedings.