A 20-year-old Pakistani citizen residing in Canada, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with plotting a mass shooting in New York City in support of the Islamic State, according to the Department of Justice.
Khan, who also goes by Shahzeb Jadoon, is accused of planning the attack at a Jewish center in Brooklyn around October 7. This date marks nearly a year since the Hamas attack on Israel. US Attorney General Merrick Garland stated that Khan intended to kill “as many Jewish people as possible.”
The Department of Justice has not confirmed whether Khan has legal representation. According to the indictment, Khan tried to travel from Canada to the U.S. with plans to use automatic and semi-automatic weapons for the attack.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrested Khan on Wednesday in Ormstown, Quebec. He is scheduled to appear in court in Montreal on September 13.
Khan allegedly discussed his plans with two undercover law enforcement officers, aiming to create a “real offline cell” of Islamic State supporters. He instructed them to acquire AR-style assault rifles, ammunition, and other materials, and pinpointed specific locations for the attacks.
Khan chose New York City due to its large Jewish population. Garland expressed gratitude to Canadian authorities for their role in preventing the attack and emphasized that no community should fear being targeted by terrorism.
Khan faces up to 20 years in prison. The planned attack’s timing coincides with the first anniversary of the Hamas assault on Israel, which resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and triggered a prolonged Israeli offensive that has claimed over 40,000 lives. The ongoing conflict has led to increased reports of anti-Semitic and Islamophobic incidents across North America.
