A federal grand jury in Brooklyn, New York, has returned a four-count indictment against Michail Chkhikvishvili, a 21-year-old Georgian national. Chkhikvishvili, also known by various aliases including Mishka and Commander Butcher, is charged with soliciting hate crimes and acts of mass violence in New York City.
According to court documents, Chkhikvishvili was arrested following an Interpol Wanted Person Diffusion based on a criminal complaint. He is alleged to be a leader of the Maniac Murder Cult (MKY), an international white supremacist group that promotes violence against racial minorities and the Jewish community. The group's ideology centers around neo-Nazi accelerationism and aims to disrupt social order through terrorism.
Chkhikvishvili allegedly recruited others to commit violent acts in furtherance of MKY’s ideologies. Among these plans was a mass casualty attack in New York City, which he discussed with an undercover law enforcement employee posing as a prospective MKY recruit.
Since September 2021, Chkhikvishvili has distributed a manifesto titled the “Hater’s Handbook” to MKY members. The handbook encourages acts of mass violence and details methods for committing terror attacks. It specifically targets large public gatherings and pedestrian areas within the United States.
Chkhikvishvili traveled to Brooklyn multiple times between April 2022 and June 2022, staying with his grandmother during his visits. By July 2022, he began using encrypted messaging platforms to encourage others to commit violent hate crimes on behalf of MKY.
In September 2023, Chkhikvishvili told the undercover agent about the application process for joining MKY, which included providing videos of brutal beatings or arson attacks. He advised that poisoning and arson were preferable methods for murder and suggested considering larger-scale mass murders targeting "low race targets."
By November 2023, Chkhikvishvili had solicited the undercover agent to commit bombings and arsons aimed at harming racial minorities and Jewish individuals. He provided detailed plans and materials such as bomb-making instructions and guidance on creating Molotov cocktails.
One particularly alarming plan involved a New Year’s Eve attack where an individual dressed as Santa Claus would distribute poisoned candy to racial minorities and Jewish children in Brooklyn. Chkhikvishvili shared manuals on creating lethal poisons like ricin with the undercover agent.
Chkhikvishvili expressed his intent for this attack to surpass that of Anders Behring Breivik's 2011 massacre in Norway. He claimed responsibility for previous hate crimes committed while living in Brooklyn in 2022.
If convicted, Chkhikvishvili faces significant prison time: up to 20 years for solicitation of violent felonies including hate crime acts; five years for conspiring to solicit violent felonies; another 20 years for distributing information on making explosive devices; and five years for transmitting threatening communications.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York, and Executive Assistant Director Robert R. Wells of the FBI’s National Security Branch announced the charges.
The FBI is leading the investigation into this case. Prosecutors include Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ellen H. Sise and Andrew D. Reich from the Eastern District of New York along with Trial Attorney Jennifer Levy from the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division also contributed assistance.
It is important to note that an indictment is merely an allegation; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.