Jay Clayton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York | Department of Justice
Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, a Pakistani citizen residing in Canada, pled guilty on Apr. 8 to attempting to commit acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries by planning a mass shooting at a prominent Jewish center in Brooklyn, New York. The announcement was made by United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton and other federal officials. Khan is scheduled to be sentenced on August 12.
The case highlights ongoing concerns about hate-based violence and terrorism targeting religious communities in the United States. Law enforcement officials say their coordinated efforts disrupted an attack that could have resulted in significant casualties.
According to U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton, "Muhammad Khan planned to carry out a horrendous attack on a venerated Jewish center in New York City in support of ISIS. Thanks to the work of our law enforcement partners at the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force of the FBI, Khan’s plan was disrupted before he reached the United States." Clayton also said, "Today’s guilty plea makes unequivocally clear: terrorism and other hate-based violence have zero place in New York City." Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said, "Khan planned a mass shooting at a Jewish center in New York City, timed to coincide with the anniversary of the October 7th Hamas attacks, with the explicit goal of killing as many Jews as possible." Eisenberg added that Khan described his plot as potentially being "the largest attack on U.S. soil since 9/11" and confirmed that authorities will continue pursuing terrorists under American law.
The investigation revealed that starting around November 2023, Khan posted online about his support for ISIS and discussed plans for terrorist attacks with undercover officers posing as associates. He instructed them to obtain weapons and identified locations where attacks could take place. By August 2024, he shifted his target specifically to Brooklyn's Jewish community and sought assistance from human smugglers to cross into the United States from Canada.
Acting Assistant Director Coult Markovsky of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division said Khan would now face consequences for planning an attack that might have killed or injured many people: "With this guilty plea, he will now face the consequences of planning a mass shooting in New York City that might have killed or injured many people." NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch emphasized collaboration between agencies: "The NYPD, in close coordination with our federal partners, was able to stop this dangerous plot before it could become a devastating attack." FBI teams intercepted Khan approximately twelve miles from the U.S.-Canada border near Ormstown after he traveled from Toronto seeking entry into America.
Khan faces up to life imprisonment following his conviction for attempting acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries; sentencing will be determined by Judge Paul G. Gardephe.
