Student Arrested in Delaware with Weapons and Manifesto

This week, the New Castle County Police Department announced the arrest of Luqmaan Khan, a 25-year-old student and Pakistani immigrant. His arrest coincided with the discovery of weapons, ammunition, body armor, and a deeply unsettling manifesto.

Originally from Pakistan, Khan moved to the United States as a child and eventually became a naturalized citizen. He has lived mainly in Wilmington, Delaware, for most of his life.

Late last month, authorities arrested him after uncovering a cache of dangerous items linked to plans for a mass shooting at his school, with intentions described as aiming to “kill all.”

This arrest was revealed to the public on Tuesday.

According to the police, “Officers developed probable cause to order Khan out of [his] vehicle, and he refused to comply. Subsequently, he resisted arrest and was taken into custody. During their investigation, officers discovered a loaded Glock .357 handgun, a Micro Conversion Kit for a Glock, four loaded 27-round extended magazines, a ballistic hard plate (body armor), binoculars, a laptop, and a composition notebook in his vehicle.”

Khan had a prior encounter with the police just before midnight on November 24. Around 11:47 p.m., patrol officers were doing a routine property check in Canby Park West when they spotted Khan’s white Toyota Tacoma parked in the area after hours. Upon stopping the vehicle, they interacted with Khan, who appeared “visibly nervous,” avoiding eye contact and not following commands.

When searched, his truck revealed a backpack containing a handgun modified to fire at roughly 1,200 rounds per minute, with additional firearms later found at his home.

Alongside the firearms, officers found extended magazines, body armor, and a troubling notebook. The FBI complaint noted that the notebook explicitly named a University of Delaware police officer and included phrases like “battle efficiency: kill all – martyrdom.”

The writings frequently referenced Islam and included a detailed map of the campus, showing potential points of entry and exit as well as notations on patrol schedules. During questioning, Khan expressed that becoming a martyr was “one of the greatest things you can do.” He has been charged with several felony weapon offenses, such as “Carrying a concealed Deadly Weapon” and “Possession of a Large Capacity Magazine.”

In response to the incident, Interim University of Delaware President Laura Carlson reached out to the community, assuring that there were no known or immediate threats to safety.

“This is frightening to all of us,” Carlson added.

Khan has been arraigned and is currently being held on a $107,200 cash bail. He is now in the custody of the FBI for further federal charges.