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New York:
A Pakistani national living in Canada has been arrested after being accused of attempting to provide material support and resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice. The 20-year-old arrested suspect, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, allegedly planned a terrorist attack in New York City around October 7 “with the intent to slaughter as many Jewish people as possible in the name of ISIS,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said, according to the statement.
“The suspect is reportedly determined to murder Jewish people here in the United States, nearly a year after Hamas’s horrific attack on Israel. This investigation was led by the FBI, and I am proud of the tremendous work the FBI team and our partners did to disrupt Khan’s plan,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray.
“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. Counterterrorism remains the FBI's highest priority,” Wray added.
As alleged in the complaint, Khan attempted to travel from Canada to New York City, where he planned to carry out a mass shooting in support of ISIS at a Jewish center in Brooklyn, New York. Khan began posting on social media and communicating with others via an encrypted messaging application about his support for ISIS in or around November 2023, when Khan distributed, among other things, ISIS propaganda videos and literature. He then began communicating with two undercover law enforcement officers, the affidavit said.
Khan repeatedly instructed the undercover police officers to obtain AR-style assault rifles, ammunition, and other materials to carry out the attacks, and identified locations where the attacks would take place. Khan also provided details about how he would cross the border from Canada into the United States to carry out the attacks. During these conversations, Khan emphasized that “October 7 and 11 are the best days to attack Jews,” because October 7 is the anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel. October 11 is Yom Kippur, a Jewish religious holiday.
The Pakistani national is charged with one count of attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
On October 7 last year, the Israeli Defense Forces declared a state of readiness for war after a massive rocket barrage from the Gaza Strip and Hamas terrorists entered Israel. The war has been ongoing since then.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Our staff and is published via a syndicated feed.)
