Authorities have arrested the alleged leader of a radical anarchist vegan cult with ties to multiple violent crimes, including the murder of a U.S. Border Patrol agent, as reported by Fox News.

Jack “Ziz” LaSota, 34, of Berkeley, California, and Michelle Zajko, 32, of Media, Pennsylvania, were taken into custody in Maryland on various charges, as law enforcement continues to investigate their connection to a string of homicides.

According to the Maryland State Police, the pair, along with another individual, were arrested Sunday afternoon on charges unrelated to the brutal killing of Border Patrol Agent David “Chris” Maland.

Alleged leader of vegan transgender ‘cult’ the Zizians linked to 6 murders protests his innocence as he’s held without bail https://t.co/wAvtjZDuuv pic.twitter.com/pk5PKXngoB

— New York Post (@nypost) February 18, 2025

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Police say LaSota was charged with trespassing, obstructing, and hindering, as well as having a firearm in a vehicle. Zajko faces the same charges, in addition to resisting arrest and carrying a handgun.

Both suspects have been linked to a fringe group known as the “Zizians,” a cult-like movement that blends artificial intelligence worship, radical veganism, and anarchist ideology.

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The Boston Globe previously reported that the group justifies violence as a means of societal change, citing an interview with former associate Jessica Taylor.

“They have this sort of anarchist, vegan critique of society,” Taylor explained.

“They believed ‘you might do some violence that your society disapproves of, but your society does violence anywhere.’”

This extremist group is under investigation for Maland’s murder near the U.S.-Canada border in January, as well as five additional homicides across Vermont, Pennsylvania, and California.

Following Maland’s murder, a nationwide manhunt was launched for Zajko, raising concerns over the cult’s growing threat.

Maland, a Minnesota native and Air Force veteran, dedicated over two decades of his life to public service. He spent nine years in the military before serving 15 years in federal law enforcement.

Rest in peace Border Patrol Agent David Christopher Maland of the United States Border Patrol, who was shot and killed on 1/20/25 while conducting a traffic stop

He was a USAF Veteran and served with the Border Patrol for 9 years. He leaves behind his parents, brother and… pic.twitter.com/ZVPs84C92n

— Angel L Maysonet (@bigricanman) January 24, 2025

His tragic murder shocked the law enforcement community, leaving many questioning how radical groups like the Zizians have been allowed to operate unchecked.

Reports indicate that Maland was gunned down on January 20 by German national Felix “Ophelia” Bauckholt and University of Washington student Teresa “Milo” Consuelo Youngblut during a traffic stop near the Canadian border in Vermont.

Court documents reveal that Zajko allegedly purchased the firearms used in the killing just a month prior in Mount Tabor, Vermont.

Zajko is also a person of interest in a double murder in Pennsylvania, as well as another homicide in California. Prosecutors have not yet disclosed further details regarding her involvement in those cases.

As the investigation intensifies, Maryland authorities continue working closely with federal law enforcement and the Allegany County State’s Attorney’s Office.

While some on the left continue to downplay the dangers of these fringe radical groups, law enforcement officials are taking no chances in dismantling this extremist network before it claims more innocent lives.