A Pakistani citizen, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, was arrested in Canada on Wednesday for allegedly planning a terrorist attack on a Jewish center in Brooklyn, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Khan, also known as Shahzeb Jadoon, is linked to ISIS and is accused of organizing this attack for around October 7, 2023.
The DOJ reported that Khan shared his attack plans with undercover law enforcement officers who were posing as potential accomplices. He intended to travel from Canada to New York City to use automatic and semi-automatic weapons against Jewish individuals in the area.
Authorities learned about Khan’s intentions from complaints filed in November 2023, when he began posting pro-ISIS content on social media and used encrypted messaging apps for his plans. Khan was distributing ISIS literature and propaganda when approached by the undercover officers.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland commented, “The defendant is alleged to have planned a terrorist attack in New York City around October 7th of this year with the stated goal of slaughtering, inthe name of ISIS, as many Jewish people as possible.” Khan faces a charge of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, which could lead to a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.
This alleged plot comes a year after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of nearly 1,200 people and the abduction of more than 240 hostages. Israel has since launched ongoing airstrikes in Gaza, resulting in approximately 40,000 fatalities, according to reports. The Palestinian Health Ministry indicates that around 70% of the dead are women and children. Recently, six Hamas hostages were killed in a tunnel near Gaza’s border with Egypt. Negotiations for a release of hostages and a cease-fire are ongoing but have not yet reached a conclusion.
