Alleged leader of cultlike ‘Zizians’ arrested in US as group linked to killings
The apparent leader of a cult-like group linked to multiple killings has been arrested in the US.
Police said Jack LaSota – known as Ziz – was detained on Sunday in Maryland, and faces charges including trespass, possession of a handgun in a vehicle, and obstructing and loitering.
Michelle Zajko, 32, and Daniel Blank, 26, were arrested on similar charges and all three are being held at a local jail.
“The Zizians” have been tied to the killing of US border patrol agent David Maland in January, as well as five other homicides in Vermont, Pennsylvania and California.
Border Patrol agent David Maland was shot dead last month. Pic: AP
Mr Maland, 44, died in a shootout following a traffic stop near the Canadian border in Vermont.
One of LaSota’s followers, German national Ophelia Bauckholt, was also killed in the incident when a woman she was with, Teresa Youngblut, allegedly opened fire.
LaSota, 34, who uses she/her pronouns and said online she is a transgender woman, is a computer programmer and appears to be the leader of the Zizians.
Michelle Zajko was also arrested. Pic: Allegany County Sheriff’s Office/AP
According to the Associated Press news agency, the group appears to be made up of highly intelligent computer scientists, mostly in their 20s and 30s, who met online, shared anarchist beliefs, and became increasingly violent.
Their goals aren’t clear, but online writings cover topics from gender identity, radical veganism and artificial intelligence.
LaSota’s blog describes a theory that the two hemispheres of the brain could hold separate values and genders and “often desire to kill each other”.
Teresa Youngblut has been charged in connection with the shooting of David Maland. Pic: AP
One of the other killings the group has been linked to is the stabbing of an 82-year-old man in northern California last month.
Prosecutors believe it was to silence him ahead of trial over an alleged 2022 sword attack by disgruntled tenants, in which he lost an eye.
The man charged with the murder, Maximilian Snyder, is said to have a relationship with Teresa Youngblut – the alleged shooter in the death of the border patrol officer.
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In 2023, the parents of Michelle Zajko – the woman arrested alongside LaSota on Sunday – were also found shot dead in their Pennsylvania home.
LaSota was charged with obstructing the investigation and released on bail, and subject to an arrest warrant after failing to show up in court.
Zajko was also questioned over her parents’ killing, but was later released and hasn’t been charged.
A lawyer for LaSota, Daniel McGarrigle, declined to comment when asked whether if his client was connected to any of the deaths.
A bail hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.
Vladimir Putin told Donald Trump he “will not back down” from Russia’s goals in Ukraine during a phone call today, the Kremlin has said.
The Russian president spoke to his US counterpart for almost an hour, and Mr Trump “again raised the issue of an early end to military action” in Ukraine, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.
In response, Mr Putin said “Russia will not back down” from its aims there, which include “the elimination of the well-known root causes that led to the current state of affairs,” Mr Ushakov said.
The phrase “root causes” is shorthand for Moscow’s argument that it was compelled to invade Ukraine in order to prevent the country from joining NATO.
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Trump and Putin’s latest call on Ukraine
Ukraine and its European allies say this is a pretext to justify what they call an imperial-style war, but Mr Trump has previously shown sympathy with Russia.
At the same time, Mr Putin told the US president that Russia is ready to continue negotiating, the aide said.
The Russian president said any prospective peace deal must see Ukraine give up its NATO bid and recognise his country’s territorial gains.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, seen with Mr Trump in June, is pushing for Ukraine to join NATO. Pic: Reuters
He also briefed Mr Trump on agreements made last month, which saw Russia and Ukraine exchange prisoners of war and dead soldiers.
Specific dates for the third round of peace talks in Istanbul were not discussed – nor was the US decision to halt some shipments of critical weapons to Ukraine.
Mr Putin and Mr Trump’s call came after the Pentagon confirmed some weapons due to be sent to Ukraine have been held as it reviews military stockpiles.
The paused shipments include air defence missiles and precision-guided artillery, two people familiar with the situation have said.
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The decision led to Ukraine calling in the acting US envoy to Kyiv on Wednesday to underline the importance of military aid from Washington.
Kyiv also cautioned that the move would weaken Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against intensifying Russian airstrikes and battlefield advances.
Mr Putin and Mr Trump’s phone call was the sixth they have publicly disclosed since the US president returned to the White House in January.
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