Khan noted that “if we succeed with our plan this would be the largest Attack on US soil since 9/11”

THE RCMP said on Friday that in partnership with the FBI they began an investigation which resulted in the arrest of Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, in the town of Ormstown, Quebec, on Wednesday, September 4. Khan was allegedly in the process of planning a deadly attack targeting Jewish citizens in the United States.

Khan was arrested for “attempting to leave Canada to commit an offence for a terrorist group,” “participating in the activities of a terrorist group,” and “conspiracy to commit an offence by violating United States immigration law – entering or attempting to enter the United States unlawfully contrary to s.1325 of the United States Code.”

He was later re-arrested under a provisional arrest warrant pursuant to the Extradition Act. 

“With the strong partnership between Canada and the US, we can reassure the public that as his actions escalated, at no point in time was Khan an immediate threat prior to his arrest,” the RCMP said.

Khan is appearing in the Superior Court of Justice in Montreal on September 13.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York, said in a press release that the Pakistani national, Khan, a/k/a “Shahzeb Jadoon,” was arrested in Canada in connection with a complaint filed in its district charging Khan with attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).

As alleged in the complaint, Khan, who resided in Canada, 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. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York plans to seek the Khan’s extradition from Canada.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said: “The defendant is alleged to have planned a terrorist attack in New York City around October 7 of this year with the stated goal of slaughtering, in the name of ISIS, as many Jewish people as possible.  Thanks to the investigative work of the FBI, and the quick action of our Canadian law enforcement partners, the defendant was taken into custody.  As I said to Canada’s Minister of Public Safety yesterday, we are deeply grateful to our Canadian partners for their critical law enforcement actions in this matter. Jewish communities – like all communities in this country – should not have to fear that they will be targeted by a hate-fueled terrorist attack.  The Justice Department will continue to work closely with our domestic and international partners to aggressively counter the threat posed by ISIS and other terrorist organizations and their supporters.”

The RCMP said: “The news of threats to the Jewish community is alarming. We will not tolerate any form of threats, harassment or violence targeting Jewish communities. The RCMP continues to work in collaboration with our domestic and international partners to detect, investigate and disrupt criminal acts that are targeting Jewish Communities. The Integrated National Security Enforcement Teams (INSETs) are actively engaged on this portfolio and continue to take concrete actions, as illustrated by this arrest, to keep Canadians safe and prevent targeted acts of violence not only in Canada, but abroad.”

As alleged in the complaint unsealed on Friday, Khan began posting on social media and communicating with others on an encrypted messaging application about his support for ISIS in or about November 2023, when, among other things, he distributed ISIS propaganda videos and literature.

Subsequently, Khan began communicating with two undercover law enforcement officers (collectively, the “UCs”). During those conversations, he confirmed that he and a U.S.-based associate (“Associate-1”) had been planning to carry out an attack in a particular U.S. city (“City-1”). Among other things, Khan said that he had been actively attempting to create “a real offline cell” of ISIS supporters to carry out a “coordinated assault” in City-1 using AR-style assault rifles to “target[] Israeli Jewish chabads . . . scattered all around [City-1].” During subsequent conversations, Khan repeatedly instructed the UCs to obtain AR-style assault rifles, ammunition, and other materials to carry out the attacks, and identified the specific locations in City-1 where the attacks would take place.

Khan also provided details about how he would cross the border from Canada into the U.S. to conduct the attacks. During these conversations with the UCs, Khan emphasized that “Oct 7th and oct 11th are the best days for targeting the jews” because “oct 7 they will surely have some protests and oct 11 is yom.kippur.”

On or about August 20, Khan changed his target location from City-1 to New York City. After initially suggesting certain neighborhoods in New York City to the UCs, Khan decided to target Location-1, a Jewish center located in Brooklyn, New York. Khan told the UCs that he planned to carry out this attack on or around October 7—which KHAN recognized as the one-year anniversary of the brutal terrorist attacks in Israel by Hamas, a designated foreign terrorist organization, which, on October 7, 2023, launched a wave of violent, large-scale terrorist attacks in Israel.

In support of his choice of New York City as his target location, Khan boasted that “New york is perfect to target jews” because it has the “largest Jewish population In america” and therefore, “even if we dont attack a[n] Event[,] we could rack up easily a lot of jews.” Khan proclaimed that “we are going to nyc to slaughter them,” and sent a photograph of the specific area inside of Location-1 where he planned to carry out the attack.

Thereafter, Khan continued to urge the UCs to acquire AR-style assault rifles, ammunition, and other equipment for his attack, including “some good hunting [knives] so we can slit their throats.” Khan repeatedly reiterated his desire to carry out the attack in support of ISIS, and continued planning for the attack, including by 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 U.S. During one communication, Khan noted that “if we succeed with our plan this would be the largest Attack on US soil since 9/11.”

On or about September 4, as Khan said he planned to do in connection with his attack, he attempted to reach the U.S-Canada border. To do so, Khan traveled from the vicinity of Toronto, Canada, towards the United States, before he was stopped in or around Ormstown, Canada, approximately 12 miles from the U.S.-Canada border.

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