A Pakistani national pleaded guilty to plotting a mass shooting at a prominent Jewish center in Brooklyn, New York, the United States Department of Justice said in a statement.
The individual, identified as Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, is a 21-year-old Pakistani student living in Canada on a study permit, admitted to planning what he hoped would be the “largest attack on US soil since 9/11,” the department stated.
The 21-year-old, also known as “Shahzeb Jadoon”, pleaded guilty before US district judge Paul G Gardephe, and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 12, 2026.
“Shahzeb declared that New York City was the ‘perfect’ venue for his attack because of its large Jewish population,” assistant attorney general for national security John A. Eisenberg said. Meanwhile, US attorney Jay Clayton for the Southern District of New York said Shahzeb had planned to carry out the attack “in support of ISIS.”
Shahzeb timed attack to coincide with anniversary of October 7 attacks
According to Eisenberg, Shahzeb had planned the shooting at the Jewish Center “to coincide with the anniversary of the October 7th Hamas attacks.” However, Clayton said that the 21-year-old’s plan had been disrupted before reaching the US.
Regarding the plot, Clayton said that Shahzeb had planned to “illegally enter the United States and conduct an ISIS-inspired attack on the Jewish community.” “Shahzeb planned to inflict significant casualties and fear before he was intercepted 12 miles from our northern border,” assistant director in charge of FBI New York Field office James C. Barnacle Jr. said.
NYPD commissioner Jessica S. Tisch said the New York Police Department had, in close coordination with federal agencies, foiled the plot.
How was the plot uncovered?
According to the US Department of Justice, the Pakistani national had started posting on social media and communicating with others about his support for ISIS. He had allegedly distributed “ISIS propaganda videos and literature”, following which he began plotting terrorist attacks in US.
Subsequently, Shahzeb communicated his plans with two individuals, who were undercover officers (UCs). He further instructed the UCs to obtain assault rifles and ammunition for the attacks, which he earlier planned to carry out in another US city. However, he changed his target to New York City in August, 2024, telling the UCs that he would target the Jewish religious center in Brooklyn, New York.
He thereafter tried to reach the US-Canada border using a human smuggler in September, 2024, but was stopped and arrested in or around Ormstown, Canada.
