Bay Area

A string of recent killings across the United States have been tied to a fringe online group described as a “death cult.” The complex web of violence includes a samurai sword attack in Vallejo, the stabbing of a landlord and a deadly shootout near the Canadian border.

Many of the people linked to the violence are connected to a fringe online community known as the “Zizians,” the investigation found. The group is a radical offshoot of the Rationalism movement, focusing on matters such as veganism and artificial intelligence destroying humanity. The group is apparently named after a person known as “Ziz,” whom Open Vallejo identified as a former tenant on Lind’s Vallejo property.