By Steve Neavling
A Pakistani citizen living in Canada has been charged with a federal crime for allegedly plotting an attack on a Jewish center in New York City on or around Oct. 7 in support of the Islamic State group, prosecutors announced Friday.
Authorities say the suspect chose Oct. 7 because it marked the first anniversary of Hamas’ terrorist attack, which resulted in over 1,200 deaths and approximately 250 hostages.
He also considered Oct. 11, the day of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism, prosecutors said.
“Jewish communities — like all communities in this country — should not have to fear that they will be targeted by a hate-fueled terrorist attack,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. The Justice Department will continue to work closely with our domestic and international partners to aggressively counter the threat posed by ISIS and other terrorist organizations and their supporters.”
The Oct. 7 attack triggered Israel’s ongoing conflict with Hamas in Gaza. According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, more than 40,000 people have died in Israel’s military operations.
Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, was apprehended Wednesday 12 miles from the U.S.-Canada border while en route from Toronto to New York City, as stated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
Garland credited the FBI and Canadian authorities for Khan’s arrest, noting that Khan had first caught the attention of law enforcement last year when he began sharing pro-Islamic State propaganda, including videos, the U.S. Attorney’s Office revealed.
According to a federal criminal complaint unsealed on Friday, two undercover officers had been in communication with Khan, who allegedly told them via encrypted messages, “New york is perfect to target jews” because of its “largest Jewish population In america.”
Khan allegedly wrote, “We are going to NYC to slaughter them,” as detailed in the complaint.
He faces a charge of attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization. Whether he had any actual connections to the group remains unclear. If convicted, the charge could result in a prison sentence of up to 20 years.
