Santa Claus terror plot foiled

The leader of a neo-Nazi extremist group has been charged with plotting to have a person dressed as Santa Claus hand out poisoned candy to children in New York City, according to the US Department of Justice. Federal prosecutors said, a 21-year-old man from the Republic of Georgia, has been indicted on four charges, including soliciting hate crimes and acts of mass violence. Known by various nicknames including Commander Butcher, Michail Chkhikvishvili is the apparent leader of the Maniac Murder Cult. The DOJ said the group is 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.’ ” Court documents allege Chkhikvishvili was arrested after he tried to recruit an undercover law enforcement officer to join his group and commit violent crimes such as bombings and arsons. In November 2023, Chkhikvishvili began planning a “mass casualty event” for New York City on New Year’s Eve, prosecutors said. “The scheme 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,” a DOJ statement alleged, adding that he ““drafted step-by-step instructions to carry out the scheme” and shared with the undercover officer “detailed manuals on creating and mixing lethal poisons and gasses.” Federal prosecutors said Chkhikvishvili has distributed a manifesto titled the “Hater’s Handbook” in which he states that he has “murdered for the white race” and encourages others to do the same.