Leader of cultlike group linked to multiple killings is arrested in Maryland
The leader of a cultlike group that has been linked to multiple killings, including the fatal shooting of a Border Patrol officer in Vermont last month, was arrested in Maryland on charges of trespassing and other crimes, authorities said Monday.
The leader of a cultlike group that has been linked to multiple killings, including the fatal shooting of a Border Patrol officer in Vermont last month, was arrested in Maryland on charges of trespassing and other crimes, authorities said Monday.
Jack LaSota, 34, who goes by “Ziz” and has espoused the dangers of artificial intelligence, was taken into custody Sunday in Frostburg, a rural area roughly midway between Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C., Maryland State Police said in a statement.
LaSota, of Berkeley, California, also faces a firearms charge and obstructing and hindering, according to the statement. Two other people — Michelle Zajko, 32, of Media, Pennsylvania, and Daniel Blank, 26, of Sacramento, California — were arrested on similar charges.
All three were being held at a local jail, state police said. It was not immediately clear whether they have lawyers to speak on their behalf.
The state police statement, which did not provide additional details about the charges, noted that the agency is working with federal law enforcement and the Allegany County state’s attorney office in an ongoing investigation.
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