"did not look like a Hollywood vision of a contemporary terrorist, despite the bizarre, almost made-for-TV extremist actions he planned, such as having people dressed as Santa Claus hand out poison candies on the streets of New York. Chkhikvishvili appeared in a Brooklyn court last week as one might find an office IT tech: close-cropped hair and black-rimmed glasses, attentive, clear-spoken and cooperative as he was questioned about his understanding of a plea that could see him imprisoned for up"
"He recruited people to commit violent acts, including plotting a mass casualty attack in New York City. But now at least when finally facing a court of law Chkhikvishvili expressed regret. I'm going to do better with my life, he told the court and explained that since being arrested in Moldova in May, he had been working out and going to church while in custody at the Metropolitan detention center in Brooklyn."
Michail Chkhikvishvili, 23, a Georgian neo-Nazi who called himself Commander Butcher, led the Maniac Murder Cult, an international racist violent extremist group. He recruited followers and solicited bombings, school shootings and other hate-motivated violence across the United States. He developed a November 2023 scheme to have people dressed as Father Christmas hand out poison-laced candy to racial minorities and directed an undercover FBI agent to target Jewish schools and children in Brooklyn with poison. He was arrested in Moldova in May and pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court, facing up to 18 years. He expressed regret, described mental-health struggles, and reported attending church and exercising while in custody.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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