Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, a Pakistani national wanted on terror-related charges in the United States, agreed to be extradited on February 20 during a brief Superior Court hearing in Montreal, where he has been jailed since his arrest in Ormstown on September 4.
U.S. officials have charged Khan, 20, with one count of attempting to provide material support and resources to a terrorist organization. Authorities there allege that Khan was planning to carry out a mass shooting at a Jewish centre in Brooklyn when he was stopped by the RCMP.
Khan had been living in Mississauga, Ontario, after arriving in Canada on a student visa in June 2023.
He first appeared at the Superior Court in Montreal on January 17, when his extradition hearing was set for February 20. The Montreal Gazette reports that Khan’s lawyer, Gaetan Bourassa, informed the court that his client would not challenge the U.S. extradition request.
An article by the Canadian Press reports that the RCMP’s Ontario Division, which investigated Khan, has said they expect the accused will be extradited in the coming weeks. According to a Justice Department spokesperson, federal Justice Minister Arif Virani must decide whether to surrender Khan to U.S. officials before he will be moved.
Documents filed as part of the extradition request by the U.S. allege that Khan began posting about his support for ISIS on social media and on encrypted messaging applications in November 2023. He began communicating with undercover agents, to whom he eventually revealed his plans to cross the border with the help of a human smuggler to carry out an attack in New York City.
Khan is said to have used three separate cars during his journey toward the U.S. border, switching vehicles in Napanee, Ontario, and again in Montreal. He was stopped near the intersection of Gale and Church Streets in Ormstown at around 2:45 p.m. after undercover officers who had been tailing him from Toronto were joined by officers from the RCMP’s Emergency Response Team for the arrest.
If convicted in the United States, Khan faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. (SR)