Canadian Authorities Arrest Pakistani National Over Alleged NYC Terror Attack Plot

A Pakistani national has been arrested in Canada for allegedly plotting a terrorist attack in New York City, targeting Jewish communities in support of ISIS. Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, was charged by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) with attempting to provide material support to ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Khan, who reportedly intended to carry out a mass shooting at a Jewish center in Brooklyn, had been promoting ISIS propaganda online and communicating with undercover law enforcement sources about his plans. According to federal prosecutors, Khan had been working with a U.S.-based ISIS member to organize the attack and had sought to form an “offline cell” of ISIS operatives to launch coordinated assaults on Jewish synagogues.

The planned attack, originally set for October 7 or 11—dates tied to Hamas’s brutal assault on Israel and the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur—was described by Khan as a mission to “slaughter them,” either by using automatic weapons or knives to carry out the killings.

Khan had identified rental properties near the targeted Jewish center and had planned to hire a human smuggler to help him cross the border from Canada into the U.S. “If we succeed with our plan this would be the largest Attack on US soil since 9/11,” Khan allegedly told his accomplices.

FBI Director Christopher Wray lauded the efforts of law enforcement in thwarting the attack, saying, “The defendant was allegedly determined to kill Jewish people here in the United States, nearly one year after Hamas’ horrific attack on Israel… Fighting terrorism remains the FBI’s top priority.”

Khan faces a maximum of 20 years in prison if convicted of the single charge of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Share this article or subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated on national security threats.