A 20-year-old Pakistani national living in Canada, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, has been extradited to the United States on serious terrorism accusations, including planning a mass shooting at a Jewish center in Brooklyn, New York, and trying to give material support to ISIS.
Khan allegedly planned to carry out the attack on October 7, 2024, which was purposefully picked to coincide with the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, according to U.S. federal authorities. This would give the act symbolic importance.
Following the successful discovery and disruption of Khan’s scheme by a joint U.S. and Canadian law enforcement investigation, Khan was taken into custody by Canadian police on September 4, 2024, in Quebec, close to the U.S. border. Khan communicated his assault plans with people he thought were co-conspirators—who were actually undercover law enforcement officers—and had been talking online about his support for ISIS since November 2023, according to the investigation. He gave these undercover cops instructions on how to attack and directed them to get AR-style assault guns and ammunition.
According to federal authorities, Khan wanted to support ISIS by using automatic guns to murder as many Jews as he could. Khan allegedly said during the investigation that the attack would be the biggest to occur on American territory since 9/11 if it were successful. He has now been moved to federal custody in the United States and is scheduled to appear in a court in New York, where he could be sentenced to a maximum of life in prison if found guilty.
In his announcement of the extradition, FBI Director Kash Patel emphasized the case as a sobering reminder of the persistent threat of terrorism and the alarming increase in threats against Jewish communities around the world. Patel acknowledged that the assault was prevented and Khan’s extradition to the United States to face punishment was made possible by the concerted efforts of several FBI field offices and foreign partners.
The case emphasizes the value of international cooperation in counterterrorism initiatives and the ongoing dangers posed by extremist organizations looking to incite or plan attacks beyond national boundaries. Authorities in the Southern District of New York have reaffirmed their commitment to protecting communities at risk and combatting terrorist threats as they pursue the judicial processes against Khan.
