World News | Police Arrest Apparent Leader of Cultlike 'Zizian' Group Linked to Multiple Killings in US
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. The apparent leader of a cultlike group known as the Zizians has been arrested in Maryland along with another member of the group, Maryland State Police said on Monday.
Boston, Feb 18 (AP) The apparent leader of a cultlike group known as the Zizians has been arrested in Maryland along with another member of the group, Maryland State Police said on Monday.
Jack LaSota (34) was arrested on Sunday along with Michelle Zajko (33) of Media, Pennsylvania. They face multiple charges including trespassing, obstructing and hindering and possession of a handgun in the vehicle.
A bail hearing for the two is scheduled for 11 am on Tuesday at Allegany District Court.
The Zizians have been tied to the killing of US Border Patrol Agent David Maland near the Canadian border in January and five other homicides in Vermont, Pennsylvania and California.
Maland (44) was killed in a January 20 shootout following a traffic stop in Coventry, Vermont, a small town about 32 kilometres from the Canadian border.
Officials have offered few details of the cross-country investigation, which broke open after the January 20 shooting death of Maland. AP interviews and a review of court records and online postings tell the story of how a group of young, highly intelligent computer scientists, most of them in their 20s and 30s, met online, shared anarchist beliefs, and became increasingly violent.
Their goals aren't clear, but online writings span topics from radical veganism and gender identity to artificial intelligence.
At the middle of it all is "Ziz", who appears to be the leader of the strange group members who called themselves "Zizians". She has been seen near multiple crime scenes and has connections to various suspects.
LaSota published a dark and sometimes violent blog under the name Ziz and, in one section, described her theory that the two hemispheres of the brain could hold separate values and genders and "often desire to kill each other".
LaSota, who used she/her pronouns, and in her writings says she is a transgender woman, railed against perceived enemies, including so-called rationalist groups, which operate mostly online and seek to understand human cognition through reason and knowledge. Some are concerned with the potential dangers of artificial intelligence.
LaSota has not responded to multiple AP emails in recent weeks, and her attorney Daniel McGarrigle declined to comment when asked whether she is connected to any of the deaths. Before her weekend arrest, she missed court appearances in two states, and bench warrants have been issued for her arrest.
Reached on Monday, McGarrigle would only confirm that he has represented LaSota and wouldn't confirm her arrest or any details of the latest case. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)