A Canadian man was arrested this week on suspicion of plotting a terrorist attack on a Jewish center in New York City on Oct. 7, the first anniversary of Hamas' first attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza.
Conspirator, According to the Department of Justice (The Department of Justice) was a supporter of the Islamic State.
Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, also known as Shahzeb Jadoon, planned the attack to coincide with the anniversary: The 20-year-old Pakistani national intended to travel to Brooklyn and carry out a mass shooting, according to a Department of Justice press release.
“The defendants are alleged to have planned a terrorist attack in New York City on or about October 7 of this year with the specific intent of massacring as many Jewish people as possible in the name of ISIS,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement.
The FBI began investigating Khan in 2023 after he began posting support for ISIS on social media and encrypted apps.
“The defendant was allegedly determined to kill Jews in the United States nearly a year after Hamas' horrific attacks on Israel,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement. “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 and other terrorist organizations.”
“Fighting terrorism remains the FBI's top priority,” he added.
Khan was arrested in Canada on September 4 and charged with “attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization.”
He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The news comes as the war between Israel and Hamas enters its 11th month. The first Israeli attack on October 7 saw the capture of some 250 hostages and the deaths of more than 1,200 Israelis. Negotiations for a ceasefire and a hostage deal continue amid rising tensions in the Middle East.
