“Commander Butcher” Pleads Guilty to Plot to Dress as Santa and Poison Jewish Kids

In a Brooklyn federal courtroom this week, a 22-year-old man stood before a judge and admitted to a plan so grotesque it sounds like the plot of a horror movie. Michail Chkhikvishvili, known to his followers as “Commander Butcher,” pleaded guilty to plotting to dress as Santa Claus on New Year’s Eve to hand out poisoned candy to Jewish children in New York City.

This is not just the story of a single, deranged individual. It is a chilling glimpse into a global, interconnected network of hate that is actively recruiting, radicalizing, and inspiring violence across borders.

The case forces us to confront the reality of how modern extremism operates: as a viral ideology that can turn a manifesto written in Eastern Europe into a school shooting in Tennessee.

A Plot of “Mass Casualty”

Chkhikvishvili, a national of the Republic of Georgia, was the leader of the “Maniac Murder Cult,” a neo-Nazi group dedicated to sparking a racial and religious war. His guilty plea admits to soliciting hate crimes, sharing bomb-making instructions, and devising a “mass casualty attack” targeting Jewish schools and communities in Brooklyn.

The details are horrifying. He planned to use ricin-laced candy to murder children, a plan he discussed in detail with an undercover FBI employee. But his influence was not limited to plotting. He circulated a manifesto, the “Hater’s Handbook,” which encouraged school shootings and mass violence against minorities.

The Global Web of Hate

What makes this case constitutionally and legally significant is the global reach of Chkhikvishvili’s influence. He was extradited from Moldova to face justice in the United States, but his ideas had already crossed the ocean.

[Image: Brooklyn Federal Courthouse]

Federal officials link his group and his manifesto to real-world violence, including a January 2025 school shooting at Antioch High School in Nashville, where a 17-year-old gunman killed a student.

The attacker claimed to be acting on behalf of the Maniac Murder Cult. Similarly, a 2024 stabbing attack outside a mosque in Turkey was livestreamed by an assailant wearing Nazi symbols who cited Chkhikvishvili in his own manifesto.

A Test for Law Enforcement

This case represents a victory for federal law enforcement in the difficult battle against domestic and international terrorism. The FBI’s ability to infiltrate the group, track Chkhikvishvili’s communications on encrypted apps like Telegram, and secure his extradition is a testament to the intense resources being deployed against racially motivated violent extremism.

“With today’s guilty plea, this defendant admits to a horrific plot targeting Jewish people and racial minorities,” said FBI Director Kash Patel.

[Image: FBI Director Kash Patel]

However, the case also highlights the terrifying challenge of the digital age. While “Commander Butcher” is now in custody and facing up to 40 years in prison, his “Hater’s Handbook” remains online.

The ideology he propagated has taken on a life of its own, inspiring violence that no single arrest can fully stop. This is the new face of terror: decentralized, digital, and driven by a hatred that knows no borders.