Canadian Man Accused of Plotting Terrorist Attack Against Jewish Communities in New York
Authorities from Canada and the United States have arrested a 20-year-old man accused of plotting a terror attack targeting Jewish communities in New York City. The suspect, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, also known as Shahzeb Jadoon, was taken into custody in Ormstown, Quebec, just 12 miles (19 km) from the US border.
Khan, a Pakistani national residing near Toronto, allegedly planned to carry out a rifle attack, coinciding either with the one-year anniversary of the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel or during the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, which falls on 11 October this year. According to officials, the investigation was spearheaded by the FBI in collaboration with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
In a statement, the RCMP emphasized that despite Khan’s escalating intentions, at no time was there an immediate threat to the public prior to his arrest. “The strong partnership between Canada and the US ensured that the suspect was apprehended before any real danger arose,” the RCMP said.
Khan is scheduled to appear in court in Montreal on 13 September. The FBI revealed that he had unwittingly conspired with two undercover agents, whom he believed were accomplices. Khan allegedly asked the agents to secure AR-style rifles, ammunition, and hunting knives to carry out the attack.
Additionally, authorities report that Khan paid a human trafficker to smuggle him across the US border. In communications with the undercover agents, he reportedly said, “New York is the perfect target because of its large Jewish population,” and expressed his desire to orchestrate “the largest attack on US soil since 9/11.”
FBI Director Christopher Wray said the suspect was driven by a desire to carry out a violent, antisemitic attack. “The defendant was allegedly determined to kill Jewish people in the US, nearly a year after the devastating Hamas attack on Israel,” Wray noted.
RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme condemned the plot, calling it a “deplorable, hate-motivated crime” and adding that “there is no place for such ideology in Canada.”
