NEW YORK — A Pakistani citizen residing in Canada has been extradited to the United States to face charges of attempting to provide material support to ISIS and planning a terrorist attack at a Jewish center in Brooklyn.
According to a June 11 press release from the U.S. Department of Justice, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, was charged in the Southern District of New York with attempting to provide material support to ISIS and attempting to commit acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries. He was arrested by Canadian authorities on September 4, 2024, and extradited to the U.S. on June 10, 2025, following a coordinated investigation led by the FBI’s New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles field offices, along with Canadian law enforcement agencies.
Prosecutors allege that Khan planned to carry out a mass shooting at a Jewish center in Brooklyn on or around October 7, 2024 — the one-year anniversary of the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in Israel that triggered the ongoing war in Gaza. Khan allegedly selected the date intentionally, stating that “Oct 7 they will surely have some protests and Oct 11 is Yom Kippur,” according to the complaint.
Beginning in November 2023, Khan allegedly posted pro-ISIS content on social media and encrypted messaging platforms, including propaganda videos and literature. He then began communicating with two undercover law enforcement officers (referred to as “the UCs”) about forming “a real offline cell” of ISIS supporters to carry out attacks in the United States.
Initially, Khan discussed plans with a U.S.-based ISIS supporter (Associate-1) to stage a “coordinated assault” in another U.S. city using AR-style rifles to target Jewish Chabad centers. He repeatedly directed the undercover officers to obtain firearms, ammunition, and “some good hunting [knives] so we can slit their throats,” according to the complaint. He also laid out detailed plans for the attack, including the intended locations and his method for crossing the border from Canada into the United States.
On August 20, 2024, Khan allegedly shifted his target to New York City and identified a specific Jewish center in Brooklyn — referred to in the complaint as Location-1. He sent the undercover officers a photo of the exact spot inside the building where he intended to strike and wrote, “we are going to nyc to slaughter them.” He also commented that “New york is perfect to target jews” because it has “the largest Jewish population in america.”
Khan allegedly emphasized that the goal was to kill as many people as possible, telling the UCs that “even if we dont attack a[n] Event[,] we could rack up easily a lot of jews.” He described the potential operation as “the largest Attack on US soil since 9/11.”
Khan allegedly coordinated with a human smuggler to help him cross the U.S.-Canada border and arranged to use three separate vehicles to travel east across Canada. He was ultimately intercepted by Canadian authorities near Ormstown, Quebec — approximately 12 miles from the U.S. border — on September 4, 2024.
“This case is a reminder of the constant threat of terrorism facing every corner of the world — as well as the disturbing rise in threats against our Jewish communities,” said FBI Deputy Director Kash Patel in a statement. “Your FBI will continue to be on guard and work around the clock to counter them.”
Khan made his initial court appearance on June 11 in Manhattan federal court. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
