A 20-year-old Pakistani citizen residing in Canada, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, also known as Shahzeb Jadoon, has been extradited to the United States on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, to face charges related to an alleged plot to attack a Jewish center in New York City. Khan is charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), and attempting to commit acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries.
According to the U.S. Justice Department, Khan planned an ISIS-inspired mass shooting around October 7, 2024, the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack in Israel. U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, stated that Khan intended to "use automatic weapons to kill as many members of our Jewish community as possible, all in support of ISIS."
The criminal complaint alleges that Khan, who resided in Canada, attempted to travel to New York City to carry out a mass shooting in support of ISIS at a Jewish center in Brooklyn. He allegedly told undercover law enforcement officers that he and an American associate were planning an attack, instructing them to acquire AR-style assault rifles, ammunition, and other materials. Khan also provided details on how he planned to cross the border.
Khan began expressing his support for ISIS on social media and encrypted messaging apps around November 2023, sharing ISIS propaganda. This activity led to him communicating with undercover law enforcement officers. In August 2024, he shifted his target to New York City, telling the undercover officers that he intended to attack a prominent Jewish religious center in Brooklyn. He selected October 7, 2024, as the date for the attack to coincide with the anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel. Khan reportedly told the UCs that “New york is perfect to target jews” because it has the “largest Jewish population in america,” and, as such, “even if we dont attack a[n] Event[,] we could rack up easily a lot of jews.” Khan then told the UCs that he intended to kill as many Jewish civilians as possible, proclaiming that “we are going to nyc to slaughter them,” and later sent a photograph to the UCs of the specific enclosed area inside of Location-1 where KHAN planned to carry out his attack.
On September 4, 2024, Khan attempted to reach the U.S.-Canada border, using three separate cars to travel through Canada. Canadian authorities stopped him near Ormstown, Quebec, approximately 12 miles from the border. He was then provisionally arrested in Canada based on the complaint filed in the Southern District of New York.
During communications with undercover officers, Khan stated that "if we succeed with our plan this would be the largest attack on US soil since 9/11."
If convicted, Khan faces a maximum sentence of life in prison for attempting to commit acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries, and a maximum of 20 years in prison for attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.
