A 20-year-old Pakistani citizen living in Canada, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, has been arrested and charged with planning a terror attack in New York City in support of the militant Islamic State group (IS), the U.S. Department of Justice announced on Friday.
Shahzeb, also known as Shahzeb Jadoon, is accused of plotting a mass shooting at a Jewish center in Brooklyn around October 7, 2024, aiming to kill “as many Jewish people as possible,” according to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland.
Shahzeb allegedly attempted to travel from Canada to the U.S. with plans to use automatic and semi-automatic weapons for the attack. He reportedly told undercover law enforcement officers of his intent to form an offline IS cell. He even identified locations for the attacks, targeting New York due to its large Jewish population.
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Shahzeb was arrested on Wednesday by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Ormstown, Quebec. He is scheduled to appear in court in Montreal on September 13. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison. The Department of Justice has not confirmed if Shahzeb has obtained legal representation.
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