A 20-year-old Pakistani national living in Canada, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, has been arrested for allegedly planning a terrorist attack in New York City around October 7, marking one year since Hamas’ attack on Israel.

Khan faces one count of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. If convicted, he could receive a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, with the final sentence determined by a federal district court judge based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and related factors.

The US Department of Justice reported that Khan was charged with attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland stated that Khan aimed to kill as many Jewish people as possible in the name of ISIS.

FBI Director Christopher Wray commended the FBI and its partners for disrupting Khan’s plan, emphasizing the agency’s ongoing commitment to addressing terrorism.

According to the complaint, Khan intended to travel from Canada to New York City to execute a mass shooting at a Jewish center in Brooklyn. He began expressing his support for ISIS on social media around November 2023, sharing propaganda and engaging in encrypted communications with others.

Khan allegedly urged undercover law enforcement officers to acquire AR-style assault rifles, ammunition, and other supplies for the attack, specifying potential locations and detailing his plans to cross the border from Canada.

He indicated that October 7 and October 11 were optimal days for targeting Jews, with October 7 being the anniversary of the Hamas attack and October 11 falling on a significant Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur.

Read more

Victims of Hamas attack sue Iran, Syria, North Korea in U.S. court

Gangster-turned-FBI agent Kamran Faridi released from US prison

Illinois man charged with hate crime in fatal stabbing of Muslim boy