Apparent Zizians leader ordered held without bail in Maryland
Suspected leader of Zizian cult denied bond
A Maryland judge denies bond for the apparent leader of the cult-like group called the Zizians. They are believed to be connected to a multi-state killing spree. FOX 5's Homa Bash has the story.
CUMBERLAND, Md. - A Maryland court on Tuesday ordered Jack LaSota, a blogger known as Ziz who apparently leads a cult-like group linked to six killings, to be held without bail.
Blogger known as Ziz held without bail in Maryland
LaSota, 34, of Berkeley, California, was arrested Sunday along with Michelle Zajko, 32, of Media, Pennsylvania, and Daniel Blank, 26, of Sacramento, California.
They face charges including trespassing, obstructing and hindering, and possession of a handgun in a vehicle.
The Zizians, LaSota’s followers, have been tied to the killing of U.S. Border Patrol Agent David Maland near the Canadian border in January and five other killings across three states, according to the Associated Press.
LaSota, Zajko, and Blank were arrested in Frostburg, Maryland, on Sunday afternoon. The judge ordered LaSota held without bail, citing concerns about his being a flight risk and a danger to public safety. Prosecutors said LaSota "appears to be the leader of an extremist group known as Zizians" that has been linked to multiple killings.
Zizians cult linked to six killings, including U.S. Border Patrol Agent
Maland, 44, was killed in a Jan. 20 shootout following a traffic stop in Coventry, Vermont, a small town about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the Canadian border.
Apparent leader of cultlike 'Zizian' group arrested in Maryland
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 Monday.
Officials have offered few details of the cross-country investigation, which broke open after the Jan. 20 shooting death of Maland. Associated Press 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.
The Source: The Associated Press and FOX 5 DC