Maryland State Police have arrested Jack LaSota, the alleged leader of the Zizian group, along with another member in connection to multiple killings across the United States. LaSota, 34, who is a transgender, a male now female, was taken into custody Sunday alongside Michelle Zajko, 33, of Media, Pennsylvania. Both face charges including trespassing, obstructing and hindering, and possession of a handgun in a vehicle.
A bail hearing for LaSota and Zajko is set for Tuesday at 11 a.m. in Allegany District Court.
Authorities have linked the Zizians to the January killing of U.S. Border Patrol Agent David Maland near the Canadian border, as well as five other homicides in Vermont, Pennsylvania, and California. Maland, 44, was fatally shot during a Jan. 20 traffic stop in Coventry, Vermont, a small town near the border.
Officials have provided limited details on the ongoing investigation, but court records and online activity suggest that the group consists of young, highly intelligent computer scientists who met online and shared anarchist ideologies. Their writings, spanning topics such as radical veganism, gender identity, and artificial intelligence, indicate an increasingly violent trajectory.
At the center of the group is “Ziz,” believed to be LaSota, who has been linked to multiple crime scenes and various suspects. LaSota maintained a blog containing dark and violent writings, including theories on the brain’s hemispheres holding separate values and genders that “often desire to kill each other.”
LaSota, who identified as a transgender woman and used she/her pronouns, frequently criticized perceived enemies, including rationalist groups focused on understanding human cognition and artificial intelligence risks.
Before the arrest, LaSota had missed court appearances in two states, leading to the issuance of bench warrants. Her attorney, Daniel McGarrigle, declined to comment on whether LaSota is connected to the homicides but confirmed he has represented her in past cases.
The investigation remains ongoing, with authorities working to determine the full extent of the Zizian group’s activities and motives.
AP
