OTTAWA, ON – A Pakistani national who was living in Canada has been extradited to the United States and appeared in a New York federal court last week, facing terrorism charges for an alleged plot to conduct a deadly, ISIS-inspired mass shooting at a Jewish community centre in Brooklyn.
The U.S. Department of Justice confirmed that Muhammad Shahzeb Khan was extradited from Canada and was presented in a Manhattan court last Wednesday. Khan is charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and attempting to commit an act of terrorism across borders. The allegations, which have not yet been proven in court, paint a picture of a meticulously planned attack that Khan allegedly bragged would be the largest on American soil since September 11, 2001.
“As alleged, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan plotted to use automatic weapons to kill as many members of our Jewish community as possible, all in support of ISIS,” said Damian Williams, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, in a statement.
“if we succeed with our plan this would be the largest attack on U.S. soil since 9/11”
According to the Justice Department, Khan’s planning began around November 2023, when he started posting ISIS propaganda on social media and communicating with individuals on encrypted messaging applications. His online activity attracted the attention of law enforcement, leading him to unknowingly communicate with undercover officers about his plans.
Khan allegedly detailed his plan to the undercover officers, believing they were co-conspirators. He instructed them to purchase AR-15-style rifles, ammunition, and other materials for an attack he and an American associate were planning.
Initially, the target was not specified, but by August of last year, Khan had allegedly decided on a new objective: a Jewish community centre in Brooklyn. The attack was planned for on or around October 7, 2024, to coincide with the one-year anniversary of the brutal terrorist attack Hamas waged on Israeli civilians.
In one alleged communication, Khan underscored the intended scale of the violence, stating that “if we succeed with our plan this would be the largest attack on U.S. soil since 9/11,” according to the Justice Department statement.
The alleged plot was thwarted last fall. On September 4, 2024, Khan attempted to travel from Quebec to the U.S. border, reportedly using three separate vehicles in an effort to evade detection. He was intercepted and arrested by the RCMP near Ormstown, Que., approximately 20 kilometres from the U.S. border.
At the time of his arrest, the RCMP stated that Khan was in the process of planning a deadly attack targeting Jewish people in the United States and was facing charges in Canada. Following his extradition, he now faces the U.S. charges in New York.
If convicted, Khan faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
