Pakistani Man Charged in Alleged Plot to Attack New York City Jewish Center Around October 7, Reports Reuters

By Jasper Ward and Anna Mehler Paperny

WASHINGTON – A Pakistani citizen residing in Canada was arrested on Wednesday and charged with conspiring to conduct an attack in New York City in support of the Islamic State, the Department of Justice announced on Friday.

Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, is accused of planning a mass shooting at a Jewish center in Brooklyn around October 7, 2024, nearly one year after the Hamas attack in Israel.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland stated that Khan, also known as Shahzeb Jadoon, intended to kill “as many Jewish people as possible.”

The Department of Justice could not confirm whether Khan had secured legal representation.

According to the indictment, Khan attempted to travel from Canada to the United States with plans to use automatic and semi-automatic weapons during the attack.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police reported that they apprehended Khan on Wednesday in Ormstown, Quebec, which is located south of Montreal. He is scheduled to appear in court in Montreal on September 13.

Khan allegedly confided to two undercover law enforcement officers about his desire to establish “a real offline cell” of Islamic State supporters to execute the attack. He urged them to procure AR-style assault rifles, ammunition, and other necessary materials, and identified specific target locations.

Prosecutors noted that Khan chose New York City for its “largest Jewish population in America.”

“We are deeply grateful to our Canadian partners for their critical law enforcement actions in this matter. Jewish communities — like all communities in this country — should not have to fear that they will be targeted by a hate-fueled terrorist attack,” Garland commented in a statement.

Khan faces a possible sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

October 7 marks the first anniversary of a Hamas attack on Israel, which resulted in approximately 1,200 fatalities and initiated an Israeli military response that has led to over 40,000 casualties to date.

In response to these events, communities across North America have reported a rise in anti-Semitic and Islamophobic incidents.