Anti-gay vigilante Maxim Martsinkevich arrested in Cuba

Anti-gay vigilante Maxim Martsinkevich

Maxim Martsinkevich, Russian anti-gay vigilante and leader of the homophobic group "Occupy Paedophilia", was arrested in Cuba today.

From Russian news agency RIA Novosti:

Russia was informed by Cuban police of the arrest of Maxim Martsinkevich through Interpol, the Russian Interior Ministry said in a statement.

More widely known under his nickname of Tesak, or machete, Martsinkevich was arrested in absentia by a Russian court last month on extremism charges.

Martsinkevich said during a January 8 interview that the criminal charges against him were orchestrated by Russia’s “pedo-lobby,” and that he did not intend to return to Russia, according to Russian tabloid Life News that has close links to the security services.

The details of Martsinkevich's extradition were currently being finalized, Russia's Investigative Committee said in a statement Saturday.

In a January 9 post on his website, Martsinkevich wrote that he had flown to Cuba from the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, via the German city of Frankfurt.

In 2011, Martsinkevich founded the Occupy Pedophile vigilante group, which lured men to abusive meetings with false promises of sex with minors. The encounters were recorded and then posted online. The group was also reported to target gay men, who were subjected to similar abusive treatment.

I shared a CNN report earlier today that features many of Martsinkevich's attacks on gays in Russia.

(h/t JMG)