Canadian and American investigators have arrested a man whom they accuse of attempting to enter the United States illegally on behalf of the terrorist militia “Islamic State” in order to carry out a terrorist attack on Jewish communities in New York City.
Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, also known as Shahzeb Jadoon, was arrested Wednesday in Ormstown, Quebec, about 12 miles from the U.S. border.
U.S. authorities said the suspect, a Pakistani national living near Toronto, had planned a gun attack for the anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 or the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur on October 11.
The investigation was led by the FBI in coordination with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
“Because of the strong partnership between Canada and the United States, we can reassure the public that at no time prior to his arrest did Khan pose an immediate threat, even as his actions escalated,” the RCMP said in a statement on Friday.
The suspect is scheduled to appear in court in Montreal on September 13.
He planned the attack together with two people he did not know were undercover agents, according to a statement released by the FBI on Friday.
He asked the undercover investigators to obtain AR rifles, ammunition and hunting knives for an attack.
The suspect also paid a human trafficker to smuggle him to the U.S. border, prosecutors say.
Officials say that in messages he sent to undercover agents, he said: “New York is perfect for targeting Jews. [sic]“ because of its relatively large Jewish population.
He also noted, “If our plan succeeds, this would be the largest attack on U.S. soil since September 11,” referring to the al-Qaeda attack of September 11, 2001.
“The defendant was allegedly determined to kill Jews here in the United States, nearly a year after Hamas' horrific attack on Israel,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray.
RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said: “This planned anti-Semitic attack on Jews in the United States is deplorable and there is no place for such ideologically and hate-motivated crimes in Canada.”