US, Canadian authorities disrupt terrorist plot targeting Brooklyn Jewish centre

Authorities from the United States and Canada have thwarted a planned terrorist attack on a Jewish centre in Brooklyn, New York. 

The suspect, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, a 20-year-old Pakistani national residing in Canada, was arrested in Canada, Caliber.Az reports via US Department of Justice.

The US Department of Justice announced that Khan faces charges of attempting to support a designated foreign terrorist organization, specifically ISIS. A criminal complaint has been filed in the Southern District of New York.

The complaint details that Khan began showing support for ISIS online in November 2023 and communicated with undercover officers about his intention to carry out mass shootings at Jewish centers in the US.

He is accused of distributing ISIS propaganda and using encrypted messaging apps to plan the attack. Khan reportedly aimed to create an offline ISIS cell to execute a coordinated assault using AR-style rifles at Jewish Chabads in Brooklyn.

Khan planned the attack for around October 7, 2024, shortly before Yom Kippur and one year after the onset of the Israel-Hamas conflict. He allegedly told undercover agents that targeting New York was ideal due to its large Jewish population and claimed the attack could be the largest on US soil since 9/11.

Authorities also revealed that Khan planned to pay a human smuggler to enter the US illegally from Canada. He was arrested about 12 miles from the US-Canada border after traveling across Canada in three separate cars. Although Khan was not considered an immediate threat, the disruption of his plot was hailed as a significant success by law enforcement.

Khan faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison if convicted. He is scheduled to appear in court in Canada on September 13, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Federal officials emphasized their commitment to preventing such terrorist plots and protecting national security.