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A Pakistani man residing in Canada has been accused of conspiring to kill numerous Jewish individuals before being charged with attempting to support ISIS, federal prosecutors announced on Friday.
Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, was arrested in Canada this week. According to the criminal complaint, he intended to travel to New York and execute a mass shooting at a Jewish center in Brooklyn.
The complaint reveals that Khan began expressing his support for ISIS on social media and through an encrypted messaging app last November. Subsequently, he started communicating with two undercover law enforcement officers, allegedly disclosing his plan for a “coordinated assault” involving AR-style rifles aimed at “Israeli Jewish chabads.”
Khan reportedly told the undercover officers that October 7 and October 11 were ideal dates for targeting Jews. October 7 is the first anniversary of a Hamas attack on Israel, and October 11 is Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism.
Khan claimed that “New York is perfect to target Jews” due to it having “the largest Jewish population in America.” He stated that even without attacking an event, they could “easily rack up a lot of Jews.” Khan announced they were “going to NYC to slaughter them,” sharing a photo of a specific location where he planned to carry out the attack, as detailed in the complaint.
In the aftermath, Attorney General Merrick Garland stated, “The defendant is alleged to have planned a terrorist attack in New York City around October 7th this year with the stated goal of slaughtering, in the name of ISIS, as many Jewish people as possible.”
Garland emphasized, “Jewish communities—like all communities in this country—should not have to fear that they will be targeted by a hate-fueled terrorist attack.”
Khan faces one count of attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization. If convicted, he could receive a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.