A federal court in Brooklyn has sentenced Georgian national Mikhail Chkhikvishvili to 15 years in prison for creating the neo-Nazi extremist group MKY (Maniac Murder Cult) and plotting mass killings targeting Jewish children in New York, the US Department of Justice said.

According to investigators, the 21-year-old Chkhikvishvili, known online by the alias “Commander Butcher”, was one of the leaders of an international far-right network that promoted racially motivated killings and terrorist attacks, News.Az reports, citing News Georgia.

He was extradited to the United States from Moldova in May 2025 and pleaded guilty in November.

Prosecutors said Chkhikvishvili used Telegram to recruit supporters for attacks against Jews, migrants and racial minorities.

One of the most disturbing allegations in the case involved a planned New Year’s Eve attack in New York, in which the defendant allegedly proposed dressing as Santa Claus and handing out poisoned sweets to children.

Investigators later said he directly called for attacks on Jewish schools and Jewish children in Brooklyn and distributed instructions on producing poisons and explosives.

“Chkhikvishvili repeatedly called for the murder of civilians, including children, and planned acts of terror against Jewish communities and racial minorities in the United States,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg said in a statement.

The US Justice Department described MKY, also known as “Maniacs: Murder Cult”, as an international neo-Nazi organisation promoting mass violence, murder and racial war.

Investigators said Chkhikvishvili had circulated a manifesto among supporters since 2021 containing instructions for carrying out mass killings, school shootings and terrorist attacks.

US authorities have also linked MKY’s ideology to several attacks in different countries. Investigators referenced an attack near a mosque in the Turkish city of Eskisehir in 2024 and a school shooting in Nashville in January 2025. According to the FBI, both attackers referred to Chkhikvishvili and MKY materials.

Georgian media reported that Chkhikvishvili was born in Tbilisi, where he completed his schooling before emigrating abroad. During his time in New York, he reportedly stayed with his grandmother.

News.Az