Pakistani National Arrested In Canada For Plotting Terror Attack On New York City

The U.S. Department of Justice announced that Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, a 20-year-old Pakistani national living in Canada, was arrested on Sept. 4 while attempting to enter the United States. Khan allegedly intended to carry out terrorist attacks on Jewish institutions in New York City in the name of ISIS.

According to the indictment, Khan had plotted a mass shooting against Jewish individuals, aiming to coincide with the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland stated that Khan’s goal was to kill as many Jews as possible.

As NBC News reports:

He also considered Oct. 11, because it is Yom Kippur, the holiest religious holiday in Judaism, prosecutors said.

“The defendant is alleged to have planned a terrorist attack in New York City around October 7th of this year with the stated goal of slaughtering, in the name of ISIS, as many Jewish people as possible,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement.

The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Garland credited the FBI and Canadian authorities for the arrest. It appears Khan first drew the attention of law enforcement late last year when he distributed pro-Islamic State group propaganda, including videos, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

The Canadian government discovered the plot and alerted the FBI. In response, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), in collaboration with the FBI, launched an investigation that led to Khan’s arrest in Ormstown, Quebec, 12 miles north of the New York border.

Two undercover officers had been communicating with the suspect, alleging that he told them via encrypted messages, “New york is perfect to target jews” because it has the “largest Jewish population In america,” according to the federal criminal complaint against him, unsealed on Friday.

The FBI alleges that Khan sought assistance in obtaining AR-15-style semiautomatic weapons to carry out mass shootings at Jewish locations in New York City, including Chabad centers.

According to the indictment, Khan communicated via encrypted messages with undercover officers, whom he believed were co-conspirators. In those messages, he expressed a desire to acquire “good hunting [knives] so we can slit their throats.” Khan also allegedly obtained a credit card to purchase the necessary items for the attack and discussed plans to hire a smuggler to help him cross the U.S.-Canada border. It remains unclear if a smuggler was present at the time of his arrest.

In a statement addressing the threat, Attorney General Garland emphasized the government’s commitment to protecting Jewish communities: “Jewish communities – like all communities in this country – should not have to fear that they will be targeted by a hate-fueled terrorist attack.”

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Patrick Houck

Patrick Houck is an avid political enthusiast based out of the Washington, D.C., metro area. His expertise is in campaigns and the use of targeted messaging to persuade voters. When not combing through the latest news, you can find him enjoying the company of family and friends or pursuing his love of photography.

4 Comments
    @AguynamedJoe_NM

    The credit should go to the CANADIANS, who discovered the plot. The FBI was forced to act on it once the Canadians told them about it. If the FBI had discovered it, I would be they would have allowed it to have happened to add to the anti-2nd Amendment zealots arguments for more “gun control” (sic) laws.

    Dick Tebaldi

    Put him in the “Kahn” and throw the key away! Stale bread for breakfast and dinner. Interrogate him daily until you charge him with treason.

    Dick Tebaldi

    Put him in the “Kahn” and throw the key away! Stale bread for breakfast and dinner. Interrogate him daily until you charge him with treason.

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