Washington:

An inmate was charged with attempted murder and other crimes on Friday after the stabbing death of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted in George Floyd’s death, the US Justice Department said in a statement.

The complaint accuses John Tersak, 52, of stabbing Chauvin approximately 22 times “with a makeshift knife” on Nov. 24 while he was imprisoned at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson, prosecutors said.

According to prosecutors, Terskak was charged with attempted murder, assault with intent to murder, assault with a dangerous weapon and assault causing serious bodily injury.

Terskak is serving a 30-year sentence for crimes that were committed while he was a member of a Mexican Mafia gang.

The case was investigated by the FBI.

“Tursack stated that his attack on DC (Derek Chauvin) on Black Friday was symbolic of the Black Lives Matter movement and the Mexican Mafia criminal organization,” the complaint said.

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Former police officer convicted in the death of George Floyd by stabbing in jail

According to prosecutors, Terczak also told investigators that he had been thinking about attacking the former police officer for about a month because of his high-profile position.

An attorney for Turscak was not listed in court records.

Attempted murder and assault with intent to commit murder carry a maximum prison sentence of 20 years each, while assault with a dangerous weapon and assault occasioning grievous bodily harm carry a maximum prison sentence of 10 years each. Is.

After the stabbing, the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office said Chauvin was expected to survive.

Chauvin is serving a 21-year sentence in Minnesota state court for violating Floyd’s civil rights and 22-1/2 years for murder.

Floyd’s death in 2020 sparked worldwide protests against police brutality and racism, after Chauvin, who is white, knelt on the handcuffed Black man’s neck for more than eight minutes in a killing captured on cellphone video. Kept pressing.