Arrest of Alleged Leader of Vegan Cult Tied to Border Patrol Agent Murder and Other Crimes

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The alleged leader and another member of a fringe group of vegan activists on the West Coast, who have been tied to a series of crimes and the murder of a Border Patrol Agent, have been arrested. The Maryland State Police confirmed that Jack "Ziz" LaSota, 34, of Berkeley, California, Michelle Zajko, 32, of Media, Pennsylvania, and another person were arrested Sunday afternoon on a number of charges unrelated to the murder of U.S. Border Patrol Agent David "Chris" Maland. LaSota and Zajko are both linked to the cult-like group known as the "Zizians," which believed in artificial intelligence theories, ethical reasoning, and veganism.

The group has been tied to the killing of Agent Maland near the Canadian border in January, along with five other homicides in Vermont, Pennsylvania, and California. A nationwide manhunt was launched for Zajko following Maland's murder. Maland, a Minnesota native and Air Force veteran, worked as a Border Patrol agent at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Newport Station. He spent nine years in the military and 15 working for the federal government. It is still unclear what brought members of the group to Vermont.

German national Felix "Ophelia" Bauckholt and University of Washington student Teresa "Milo" Consuelo Youngblut allegedly gunned down Maland near the Canada-Vermont border on Jan. 20, during a traffic stop. Zajko allegedly bought .40-caliber and .380-caliber handguns in February 2024 in Mount Tabor, Vermont, that were used in Maland’s shooting. Zajko is also considered a "person of interest" in a double murder in Pennsylvania and another murder in California, prosecutors revealed, without naming her.

Police added that they are working in coordination with federal law enforcement partners and the Office of the State’s Attorney in Allegany County as this investigation continues. The case has drawn attention to the activities of the Zizians, a group that has been described as having an anarchist and vegan critique of society. The group's leader, LaSota, has been described as highly intelligent and has published a dark and sometimes violent blog under the name Ziz. The investigation is ongoing, and authorities are still working to determine the extent of the group's involvement in the various crimes.

The following is a list of key events in the case: * January 20: Border Patrol Agent David Maland is killed in a shootout near the Canadian border in Vermont. * January 17: Landlord Curtis Lind is stabbed to death in California. * November 2019: LaSota, Emma Borhanian, Gwen Danielson, and Alexander Leatham are arrested at a protest outside a Northern California retreat center. * 2022: Landlord Curtis Lind goes to court to evict Borhanian, LaSota, Leatham, and other tenants who had stopped paying rent at a Vallejo, California, property. * New Year’s Eve 2022: Rita and Richard Zajko are shot and killed in Chester Heights, Pennsylvania. The investigation into the Zizians and their activities is ongoing, and authorities are still working to determine the extent of the group's involvement in the various crimes.