Law enforcement swarmed a Chapel Hill location this week
The activity was related to the "ziz" trans vegan terror cult
FBI agents were in Chapel Hill this past week, investigating an Airbnb connection to the vegan trans terror cult known as "Ziz" that was involved in the shooting murder of a U.S. Border Patrol agent in January.
On Wednesday, upwards of 50 federal agents as well as sheriffs deputies were seen searching properties near Bell Circle and Woodbridge Drive for about a seven hour period starting at 6 am. Residents in the area told local media outlets that loud "bangs" were heard while officials searched the area. Law enforcement didn't say what those sounds were, but if one had to guess, it could have been detonations of suspicious devices.
Legal filings posted by This Week In The Triangle’s Stephen Horn show Ziz member Felix "Ophelia" Bauckholt was driving a blue 2015 Toyota Prius Hatchback that had NC plates on it when the fatal shooting incident with border agents occurred with Bauckholt, who was killed during the incident. Bauckholt was accompanied by a woman named Teresa Youngblut during the shootout.
Law enforcement traced the information on the car among other sources of information on Bauckholt to the Chapel Hill area address.
Sources told ABC11 that other members had also resided there since 2023. The Associated Press said there were two property rentals made and that the cult's leader, Jack "ZiZ" LaSota, had been living at a second rental taken up by Bauckholt starting sometime in 2024.
The Associated Press report also says Youngblut and another cult member, Maximilian Snyder, had obtained a marriage license in Washington State.
More To The Story
Post-Millenial's Andy Ngo was the first to make connections between various murders that have occurred around the country following the recent shooting of US Border Patrol Agent David Maland in Vermont on January 20, 2025.
The Vermont border incident occurred when Maland stopped a car containing Felix "Ophelia" Bauckholt and Teresa "Milo" Consuelo Youngblut. Youngblut allegedly shot and killed Maland, while Bauckholt was killed in return fire by other agents.
Maland's murder, per Ngo's reporting, unveiled a larger network of violence linked to a group called the "Zizians," a cult of highly-educated trans vegan "rationalists" who follow fringe ideologies about transhumanism and animal rights.
Ngo was also the first to report on the Chapel Hill connection.
Ngo's investigation and legal filings have revealed sophisticated preparation by the group, with authorities finding weapons, tactical gear, and electronic devices in Bauckholt and Youngblut's vehicle.
The cult appears to operate through communes in box trucks, and some trans activists online have expressed support for their violent actions. Ngo says the cult is linked to at least four killings across the country.
Key Cult Members and Associates identified by Ngo:
Jack "Ziz" LaSota (also known as Andrea Phelps) is the cult's leader. A biological male who identifies as a woman, LaSota has written extensively about violence and radical anarchist tactics. His mugshot isn’t creepy at all:
Though some followers claim LaSota died in 2022, authorities believe this was fabricated to evade law enforcement. LaSota has an outstanding warrant in Delaware County, PA, and as previously mentioned, had reportedly been living in Chapel Hill.
Felix "Ophelia" Bauckholt was a German national and award-winning math prodigy who graduated from the University of Waterloo and worked as a quantitative trader at Tower Research Capital in New York on an H-1B visa. Bauckholt was killed in the Vermont shooting.
Teresa "Milo" Consuelo Youngblut was a University of Washington computer science student and Lakeside School graduate. Youngblut's family had reported her missing in May 2024, citing concerns about a controlling relationship. She was engaged to Maximilian Bentley Snyder and was arrested after the Vermont shooting.
Maximilian Bentley Snyder, a computer science expert from a wealthy Seattle family, was arrested for allegedly murdering Curtis Lind, an 82-year-old key witness in California. Lind was set to testify in a trial against other cult members.
Michelle Jacqueline Zajko, a bioinformatics researcher, is a person of interest in the deaths of their parents, Rita and Richard Zajko, found killed in Delaware County, PA in 2023. Zajko purchased the guns used in the Vermont shooting and owned land near the incident.
Alexander "Somni" Leatham and Suri Dao are facing trial for the attempted murder of Curtis Lind in Solano County, California, where they were allegedly squatting on his property. A third member, Amir "Emma" Borhanian, was killed by Lind during their attack on him.