Washington, April 9 (IANS) A Pakistani national has pleaded guilty to attempting to carry out an ISIS-inspired mass shooting at a prominent Jewish centre in New York, US authorities said, detailing a plot timed to coincide with the anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attacks.
Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, also known as “Shahzeb Jadoon”, admitted to attempting to commit acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries, the Justice Department said. He is scheduled to be sentenced on August 12, 2026. He faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Officials said Khan had planned a large-scale attack in Brooklyn with automatic weapons.
“Khan planned a mass shooting at a Jewish center in New York City, timed to coincide with the anniversary of the October 7th Hamas attacks, with the explicit goal of killing as many Jews as possible,” said Assistant Attorney General John A. Eisenberg.
He added that Khan viewed New York as the “perfect” venue because of its large Jewish population and had claimed his plot could be the “largest attack on US soil since 9/11.”
According to prosecutors, Khan, a Pakistani citizen who had been residing in Canada, began expressing support for ISIS in late 2023 through online posts and communications, including sharing propaganda material.
He later discussed plans with individuals he believed were co-conspirators but who were in fact undercover officers.
Khan told them he intended to use AR-style assault rifles to “target Israeli Jewish chabads . . . scattered all around (City-1),” and repeatedly instructed them to procure weapons and ammunition.
By August 2024, investigators said, Khan had shifted his focus to New York City, identifying a prominent Jewish religious centre in Brooklyn as the target.
He conveyed plans to carry out the attack around October 7, 2024, marking one year since the Hamas assault on Israel.
In messages cited by prosecutors, Khan said “New york is perfect to target jews” and that “we are going to nyc to slaughter them,” while urging associates to obtain rifles and knives.
He also said that if successful, the attack “would be the largest Attack on US soil since 9/11.”
Authorities said Khan attempted to enter the United States with the help of a human smuggler.
On September 4, 2024, he travelled from the Toronto area towards the US border but was intercepted and arrested in Ormstown, Canada, about 12 miles from the border.
US Attorney Jay Clayton said the plot had been disrupted before Khan could reach the country.
“Thanks to the work of our law enforcement partners at the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force of the FBI, Khan’s plan was disrupted before he reached the United States,” Clayton said.
FBI officials said the case underscored ongoing threats from ISIS-inspired actors.
“With this guilty plea, he will now face the consequences of planning a mass shooting in New York City that might have killed or injured many people,” said Acting Assistant Director Coult Markovsky.
The case involved cooperation between US and Canadian authorities, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, leading to Khan’s arrest and later extradition to the United States in June 2025.
–IANS
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