A 20-year-old citizen of Pakistan living in Canada was arrested on Sept. 4 after U.S. authorities alerted law enforcement of the man’s alleged plan to attack a Jewish Centre in New York City.
Khan was allegedly planning the attack to coincide with the first anniversary of the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel, on Oct. 7.
U.S. authorities say his goal was to kill as many Jewish people as possible, in the name of ISIS.
Khan is accused of attempting to travel from Canada to New York City, where he was allegedly planning to use automatic and semi-automatic weapons in a mass shooting. The target was a Jewish centre in Brooklyn.
Officials say Khan began posting on social media and talking with others through an encrypted messaging app. He is accused of expressing support for ISIS, starting around November 2023. He also allegedly shared ISIS propaganda videos and literature.
Two undercover law enforcement officers began communicating with Khan, during which time Khan said that he and another individual based in the United States were planning an attack, according to the release.
Khan allegedly told the undercover officers that he had been actively attempting to create a group of ISIS supporters who could carry out a coordinated attack with AR-style rifles on Jewish individuals.
In subsequent conversations, Khan is accused of repeatedly telling the officers to get AR-style rifles, ammunition, and other materials to carry out attacks, and identified specific locations where attacks would take place, the release said.
During the interactions with the undercover officers, Khan provided details about how he would cross the border from Canada in to the U.S. to conduct the attack, saying he was paying a human smuggler to help him get across the border.
He told the officers that Oct. 7 and Oct. 11 were “the best days for targeting Jews,” because he anticipated protests on Oct. 7, and Oct. 11 is Yom Kippur, a solemn religious holiday for Jewish people, the release said.
Khan allegedly changed his target location for the attack from a previously identified city to New York City around Aug. 20. The original target city was not disclosed by the DOJ.
He is accused of suggesting different neighbourhoods to target within New York City to the undercover officers, then settled on the Jewish Centre in Brooklyn.
The undercover officers accuse Khan of picking Oct. 7 because it will be the one-year anniversary of the attack in Israel.
Khan is alleged to have boasted that New York City was the perfect place to target Jews as it has the largest Jewish population in America. He also said that even if a specific event was not targeted, “we could rack up easily a lot of Jews.”
U.S. authorities say Khan had a photograph of the specific area inside of a location where he allegedly planned to carry out his attack.
Khan is accused of continuing to urge the undercover officers to get AR-style rifles, ammunition, and other equipment for the attack, including hunting knives. Authorities also say Khan identified rental properties that were close to the location he was targeting.
He allegedly repeatedly stated his desire to complete the attack in support of ISIS.
“During one communication, Khan noted that ‘if we succeed with our plan this would be the largest Attack on US soil since 9/11,’” the DOJ release said.
Khan is accused of attempting to cross the U.S.-Canada border on Sept. 4, using three separate cars to travel across Canada toward the border, according to the release. He was stopped around Ormstown, Quebec, about 19 kilometres (11 miles) from the U.S. border.
Khan is facing charges on both sides of the border, including one count in the United States of attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization. He could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted, the release said.
The RCMP said Khan was later re-arrested on an extradition warrant.
He is scheduled to appear in Montreal’s Superior Court of Justice on Sept. 13.
