In a coordinated effort between Canadian and U.S. authorities, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) announced the arrest of a 20-year-old Pakistani man, Muhammed Shahzeb Khan, who was residing in Canada. Khan is alleged to have been plotting a mass shooting at a Jewish center in New York City, scheduled for October 7, 2024. This date holds significant resonance, coming exactly one year after the Hamas attack on Israel that resulted in the deaths of nearly 800 civilians. Details on the arrest can be found in the RCMP’s announcement.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) stated that Khan intended to execute the attack in support of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), an organization recognized as a terrorist group by both the U.S. and Canada. Federal prosecutors have charged him with one count of attempted provision of material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization under 18 U.S. Code § 2339A.
According to the FBI’s criminal complaint, Khan revealed his plans to two undercover law enforcement officers. He allegedly discussed crossing the Canada-U.S. border with the aid of a human smuggler and subsequently targeting the Jewish center in NYC. Khan purportedly justified his choice by stating that New York has the “largest Jewish population in America” and would be an ideal location to “rack up easily a lot of Jews.” The complaint also alleges that Khan instructed the undercover officers to secure weapons for the attack.
Khan was apprehended near the Canada-U.S. border on September 4 and is slated to appear in a Canadian court on September 13.
This incident occurs amid a significant increase in antisemitic incidents in both the U.S. and globally. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reported a 361 percent increase in antisemitic incidents in the U.S. following the October 7 attacks, while the UK’s Metropolitan Police reported a 1350 percent rise in antisemitic hate crimes in the month after the attacks. Appeals for heightened vigilance and strengthened security measures are ongoing.
This case also recalls past antisemitic violence in the U.S., with the deadliest occurring on October 27, 2018, when a white nationalist gunman killed 11 worshippers at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For a detailed report on the arrest, visit the JURIST news article.