Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, a Pakistani national living in Canada who was accused of plotting to target a Jewish center in Brooklyn on the one-year anniversary of Oct. 7 in support of ISIS, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court on April 8, the U.S. Justice Department said.
The terrorist, who also goes by Shahzeb Jadoon, admitted that he tried to carry out a terror attack across national borders “for attempting to enter the United States and carry out a mass shooting with automatic weapons at a prominent Jewish center in Brooklyn, N.Y.,” the department said. It added that he is slated to be sentenced on Aug. 12.
“Khan planned a mass shooting at a Jewish center in New York City, timed to coincide with the anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, with the explicit goal of killing as many Jews as possible,” stated John Eisenberg, assistant U.S. attorney general for national security.
“Khan declared that New York City was the ‘perfect’ venue for his attack because of its large Jewish population and boasted that his plot could be the largest attack on U.S. soil since 9/11,” he said. “The national security division will work tirelessly to ensure that terrorists like Khan face the full weight of American law.”
Khan said that he wanted to target Chabad centers. The Chabad world headquarters is in Brooklyn.
Jessica Tisch, commissioner of the New York City Police Department, stated that the NYPD, “in close coordination with our federal partners, was able to stop this dangerous plot before it could become a devastating attack.”
“This case is yet another example of the sophisticated work that the NYPD does to protect our communities from harm and our ongoing commitment to stop hate-fueled violence,” she said.
