A Toronto man, who was arrested on Wednesday in Ormstown, is facing terrorism-related charges in the United States for allegedly planning a mass shooting of Jewish citizens in New York City.
According to a release issued by the U.S. Department of Justice, the accused is Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, a Pakistani resident living in Canada, who is also known as Shahzeb Jadoon.
Following a complaint filed in the Southern District of New York, Khan has been charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, identified as the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).
“The defendant is alleged to have planned a terrorist attack in New York City around October 7th of this year, with the stated goal of slaughtering, in the name of ISIS, as many Jewish people as possible,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Thanks to the investigative work of the FBI, and the quick action of our Canadian law enforcement partners, the defendant was taken into custody,” he said in a statement.
Khan allegedly used three separate cars to travel across Canada towards the United States, before he was stopped around 5 p.m. in Ormstown by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Emergency Response Team (ERT) near the intersection of Gale and Church Streets.
According to eyewitness accounts, undercover officers who had been tailing the suspect from Toronto were joined by the ERT to make the arrest. Three others were also detained in the operation. Witnesses say the RCMP vehicle rammed the suspect’s car and that officers allegedly used stun grenades to immobilize him, before removing and arresting him.
According to a statement issued by the RCMP, Khan was wanted on three charges, including two terror-related charges and conspiracy to commit an offence by violating United States immigration law. He was subsequently re-arrested under a provisional arrest warrant under the Extradition Act.
The RCMP referred to the news of threats to the Jewish community as alarming. “Violent extremism in all its forms is on the rise around the world, and Canada is not immune,” said RCMP commissioner Mike Duheme. “This planned anti-Semitic attack against Jewish people in the U.S. is deplorable and there is no place for such ideological and hate-motivated crime in Canada.
The U.S. Department of Justice alleges that Khan began posting on social media and communicating his support for ISIS on encrypted messaging applications in November 2023. It was around then that Khan began communicating with two undercover law enforcement officers. During these conversations, Khan described how he would cross the border from Canada to conduct a targeted attack at a Jewish centre located in Brooklyn, New York.
Khan is expected to appear at the Superior Court of Justice in Montreal on September 13.
The Office of International Affairs of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division is seeking the extradition of Khan from Canada. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in a U.S. prison. (SR)