Man Charged in Plot to Attack New York Jewish Center While in Canada on Student Visa, Reports Reuters

By Anna Mehler Paperny

TORONTO – A Pakistani man accused of planning an attack on a Jewish center in New York City in support of the Islamic State was in Canada on a student visa, as confirmed by Canada’s immigration minister on Tuesday.

Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, was arrested in Canada last Wednesday while allegedly attempting to enter the U.S. He faces charges of trying to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, specifically the Islamic State, also known as ISIS.

The U.S. Department of Justice has claimed that Khan was plotting a mass shooting at a Jewish center in Brooklyn, scheduled around October 7, 2024, roughly a year after Hamas’ attack in Israel.

Khan arrived in Canada on a student visa in June 2023, as reported by Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller. This visa had been issued the previous month.

According to the Justice Department, Khan started expressing his support for ISIS on an encrypted messaging platform in November 2023. He is alleged to have shared his attack plans with undercover agents.

Miller refrained from commenting further on Khan’s case due to the pending criminal charges. He emphasized the seriousness with which Canada takes security breaches and the entry of individuals into the country. "A determined individual can gain access to this country," he stated, noting that it is the responsibility of security services to apprehend such individuals if they commit or plan to commit a crime.

In recent months, Canada approved more student visas than in any month since at least January 2019, based on immigration department data, although approvals have since decreased.

Canada has been moving to limit the number of international students, having introduced a two-year cap in January.

Khan is scheduled to appear in a Montreal court on September 13.