Press releases issued Friday by the U.S. Department of Justice and the RCMP identified the accused in the case as 20-year-old Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, who investigators say is also known by name Shahzeb Jadoon, according to CBC.
Khan was arrested Wednesday in the town of Ormstown, Que., about 60 kilometres south of Montreal. U.S. authorities described him as a Pakistani citizen residing in Canada, CBC reported.
“The defendant is alleged to have planned a terrorist attack in New York City around October 7th of this year with the stated goal of slaughtering, in the name of ISIS, as many Jewish people as possible,” said U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, in a statement.
Khan now faces three charges in Canada — Attempting to leave Canada to commit an offence for a terrorist group; Participating in the activities of a terrorist group; Conspiracy to commit an offence by violating U.S. immigration law – entering or attempting to enter the U.S. unlawfully, according to CBC.
Khan also faces a charge in the U.S. of attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, namely ISIS, according to CBC.In a statement posted on X, Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said the arrest was “the product of strong partnership” between the RCMP and FBI.Michel Juneau-Katsuya, former senior manager and senior intelligence officer for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, told CBC News he wasn’t surprised by news of the arrest.
“People might believe that with the success we had against Daesh or ISIS in the Middle East that we would have got rid of them. But it’s on the contrary,” he told CBC.
