Pakistani Man ARRESTED For Plotting TERRORIST ATTACK Against NYC Jews

A 20-year-old Pakistani man, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, was arrested in Canada this week over allegations of plotting a terrorist attack against Jewish people in New York City. The U.S. Department of Justice announced the charges late Friday, stating that Khan was accused of attempting to provide material support and resources to ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization.

According to prosecutors, Khan “attempted to travel from Canada to New York City, where he intended to use automatic and semi-automatic weapons to carry out a mass shooting in support of ISIS at a Jewish center in Brooklyn, New York.”

Khan’s support for ISIS reportedly began late last year, as he posted on social media and an encrypted messaging platform expressing his backing for the group and distributing its propaganda, the DOJ said. He allegedly communicated with undercover law enforcement officers, revealing that he was working with a U.S.-based ISIS member to organize the attack and aimed to create an “offline cell” of ISIS terrorists to execute a coordinated assault targeting Jews at synagogues.

Khan discussed potential dates for the attack, including October 7, the anniversary of Hamas’ attack on Israel last year, and October 11, the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. Initially, he targeted a city referred to only as “City-1” in the indictment but later shifted his focus to New York City.

Khan made explicit threats, saying Muslims were “going to NYC to slaughter them,” planning to do so with rifles or by “slitting their throats” with knives. The DOJ added that “Khan repeatedly reiterated his desire to carry out the attack in support of ISIS and discussed planning for the attack, including identifying rental properties close to Location-1 and paying for a human smuggler to help him reach and cross the border from Canada into the United States.” During one communication, Khan stated, “if we succeed with our plan, this would be the largest Attack on US soil since 9/11.”

The Department of Justice charged Khan with one count of attempting to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

FBI Director Christopher Wray praised the investigation, saying, “The defendant was allegedly determined to kill Jewish people here in the United States, nearly one year after Hamas’ horrific attack on Israel. This investigation was led by the FBI, and I am proud of the terrific work by the FBI team and our partners to disrupt 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.”