"Michail Chkhikvishvili, a self-described cult leader who called himself "Commander Butcher", 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. It marked the end of an astonishing saga of plans for inciting and carrying out outlandish and appalling crimes."
"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. He spoke about his depression and anxiety as a teenager and apologized to "those communities" he had targeted."
Michail Chkhikvishvili led the Maniac Murder Cult, an international racist violent extremist group that solicited bombings, school shootings and other hate-motivated violence across the United States. He recruited followers and plotted outlandish attacks, including a scheme to have people dressed as Father Christmas distribute poison-laced candy in New York and directed efforts to target Jewish schools. Arrested in Moldova in May, he pleaded guilty in Brooklyn federal court to charges that could carry up to 18 years in prison. While in custody he reported working out and attending church, described past depression and anxiety, and apologized to the communities he had targeted.
Read at Yahoo News
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