Georgia teen detained by ICE after mistaken arrest says detention was 'life-changing'

 

Accused neo-Nazi cult leader extradited to US, as DOJ alleges ties to deadly Nashville school shooting

Michail Chkhikvishvili is allegedly linked to the Antioch High School shooting

The alleged leader of a neo-Nazi cult based overseas has been extradited to the United States and accused of "multiple senseless killings" around the world, including the shooting at Antioch High School in Nashville earlier this year that left one student dead and another injured, according to the Justice Department.

Michail Chkhikvishvili, a Georgian national arrested in Moldova last year, was arraigned Friday in U.S. federal court in Brooklyn, the DOJ said. His attorney entered a plea of not guilty to the charges and the judge ordered him detained. A status conference in the case was scheduled for June 11.

Chkhikvishvili was indicted last year on several federal charges, including two counts of soliciting hate crimes and other violent attacks. According to the DOJ, he was a leader of the "Maniac Murder Cult," a Russian and Ukrainian-based extremist group also known as "MKY" that promotes violence against racial minorities, the Jewish community, and others it deems "undesirables."

In announcing his indictment last year, the DOJ said Chkhikvishvili – who allegedly also goes by the moniker "Commander Butcher" – distributed a self-authored "Hater's Handbook" encouraging readers to commit school shootings and other mass "terror attacks," providing suggested methods and strategies.

Michail Chkhikvishvili, a Georgian national arrested in Moldova last year, is scheduled to be arraigned in U.S. federal court in Brooklyn, seen in a filing fro...Show more

Department of Justice

The DOJ also said he planned and solicited help for a mass casualty attack targeting Jews and other minorities in New York City on New Year's Eve, but the person he solicited was actually an undercover FBI agent.

Since his arrest in July of last year, Chkhikvishvili had been held in Moldova. But he is now expected to appear is a U.S. federal court on Friday, and federal prosecutors hope a federal judge will agree to keep him detained pending trial, according to the DOJ filing.

Michail Chkhikvishvili, a Georgian national arrested in Moldova last year, is scheduled to be arraigned in U.S. federal court in Brooklyn, seen in a filing fro...Show more

Department of Justice

"The defendant's repeated solicitations of violence have had the intended effect. They have directly resulted in real violence, including multiple senseless killings, in the United States and around the world," the Justice Department said in its filing.

MORE: Nashville school shooting suspect allegedly praised mass shooters, extremist views

As an example, the DOJ wrote: "In January 2025, a 17-year-old student killed one individual and injured another before committing suicide inside Antioch High School in Nashville, Tennessee. The attacker livestreamed part of the attack. Prior to the attack, in an audio recording posted online and attributed to him, the attacker claimed he was taking action on behalf of MKY and at least one other group. The attacker's [writings] explicitly mentioned the defendant by name and included numerous references to MKY's founder, Yegor Krasnov. The attacker stated that he would write Krasnov's name on his gun."

Flowers and stuffed animals are seen at a memorial for victims of a shooting at Antioch High School, Jan. 23, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn.

George Walker IV/AP

The DOJ also said an August 2024 knife attack in Turkey and the April 2022 murder of an elderly woman in Romania were connected to Chkhikvishvili's actions.

"The defendant has consistently demonstrated that he is capable of orchestrating deadly attacks from behind a computer screen at home," the Justice Department added. "Moreover, the defendant has repeatedly stated that he has committed acts of violence and that he intends to commit more. The Court should take the defendant at his word and detain him in the interest of public safety."

In a statement issued Friday, Attorney General Pam Bondi said the case against Chkhikvishvili "is a stark reminder of the kind of terrorism we face today: online networks plotting unspeakable acts of violence against children, families, and the Jewish community in pursuit of a depraved, extremist ideology."

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Georgia teen detained by ICE after mistaken arrest says detention was 'life-changing

Ximena Arias-Cristobal, 19, was released from ICE custody on Thursday

The Georgia teen who was arrested in a case of mistaken identity -- and then detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement over her undocumented status -- is saying a day after her release on bond that her time in custody was "life-changing."

Ximena Arias-Cristobal, 19, was arrested on May 5 in Dalton, Georgia, when her dark gray truck was mistaken for a black pickup that made an illegal turn. Those citations were later dropped once officials realized there was a mix-up, Dalton Assistant Police Chief Chris Crossen said.

But she was still detained by ICE after it was discovered she was an undocumented immigrant.

MORE: Georgia teen detained by ICE after mistaken traffic stop granted bond: Attorney

As she was being transferred to Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, she stopped at some offices in Atlanta, she said.

"They had me in a room by myself for nine hours. I didn't know what was going on. It was never explained," Arias-Cristobal told Chattanooga, Tennessee, ABC affiliate WTVC Thursday after her release from detention.

"Being in Stewart changed my life. It's something that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. It's life-changing," she said.

Dalton Georgia college student Ximena Arias-Cristoba reunites with her family, May 22, 2025 after she was released from detention by ICE.

WTVC

MORE: Georgia college student detained by ICE after mistaken traffic stop should self-deport, DHS says

Arias-Cristobal, a student at Dalton State College, was in the ICE detention center for two weeks.

"It was scary. I was terrified," Arias-Cristobal told WTVC.

“I won’t ever be the same,” she told Atlanta ABC affiliate WSB in a separate phone interview.

Dalton Georgia college student Ximena Arias-Cristoba reunites with her family, May 22, 2025 after she was released from detention by ICE.

WTVC

Arias-Cristobal was released on a $1,500 bond and the government did not wish to appeal, according to her attorney.

"We do not have another hearing currently scheduled. It would be remarkable if it is before mid-2026,"  Charles Kuck, an attorney for Arias-Cristobal, told WTVC.

MORE: Georgia college student remains in ICE custody after mistaken traffic stop

She was granted bond on Wednesday and reunited with family at her home on Thursday.

The teen came to the U.S. with her parents when she was 4 years old and is ineligible for relief from deportation through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which temporarily protects some migrants from deportation if they were brought to the country as children, an attorney for Arias-Cristobal told ABC News.

Arias-Cristobal was not eligible to register for the DACA program because it ended before she became eligible to apply at 16 years old.

The Department of Homeland Security said following her detainment that it is committed to ordering Arias-Cristobal to "self-deport" to Mexico and that she "admitted to illegally entering the United States and has no pending applications with USCIS."