A Pakistani man, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, was arrested in Canada after he allegedly attempted to aid the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) in planning a terrorist attack in New York City around October 7, according to the the US Department of Justice.
The 20-year-old has been accused of providing resources and support in order to plan an attack on Jewish people in New York City, close to the anniversary of Hamas’ attack on Israel last year, reported news agency ANI.
Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, allegedly planned the terrorist attack “with the intent of slaughtering in the name of ISIS, as many Jewish people as possible”, attorney general Merrick B Garland said in a statement by the US Department of Justice.
Director of the FBI Christopher Wray also chimed in, expressing pride in the team that disrupted Khan’s plan. “The FBI will continue to work closely with our partners to investigate and hold accountable those who seek to commit violence in the name of ISIS or other terrorist organizations. Fighting terrorism remains the FBI’s top priority,” he said.
Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, had allegedly attempted to travel from Canada to New York City to carry out a mass shooting at a Jewish center in Brooklyn, New York, to show his support for ISIS.
Khan’s digital footprint showed that he began posting on social media about his support for ISISI and was communicating with others on an encrypted messaging application around November 2023.
During this time, Khan distributed ISIS propaganda videos and literature. While he was doing so, he began communicating with two undercover law enforcement officers, according to the US Department of Justice.
Muhammad Shahzeb Khan would tell the undercover agents how they could obtain AR-style assault rifles, ammunition, and other materials to carry out the attacks, and identified where the attacks would take place as well.
He also gave them details about how he would cross the border from Canada into the United States to conduct the attacks.
According to the US Department of Justice, during these conversations, Khan explained that “Oct 7th and Oct 11th are the best days for targeting the Jews” because October 7 is the anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel. October 11 was also mentioned as it was Yom Kippur, a Jewish religious holiday.
Khan is now being charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organisation. If he is convicted, he will face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
On October 7, when Khan planned his attack, Hamas attacked Israel, killing an injuring several civilians, after which the two entities have been in conflict for close to a year.
