A man from Pakistan, accused of plotting a mass shooting at a Jewish center in New York while residing in the Greater Toronto Area, is set to go on trial in the upcoming spring. Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 21, made an appearance at the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, New York, where it was disclosed that his trial by jury is slated to commence on May 26, 2026. If found guilty, he could be sentenced to life imprisonment.
Khan was apprehended by heavily armed Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers near a gas station in Ormstown, Quebec, last year after allegedly paying a human trafficker to assist him in crossing the U.S. border. Facing two terrorism-related charges concerning an alleged ISIS-inspired scheme to carry out a shooting at an unspecified Jewish center in Brooklyn, the plan was purported to coincide with the anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel.
Previously pleading not guilty after being extradited to the U.S., Khan, according to immigration records disclosed by a Canadian parliamentary committee, had obtained a study permit in April 2023 and arrived at Toronto Pearson International Airport in June of the same year. Despite no identified risk indicators in the federal immigration department’s security assessment, which would trigger further scrutiny by intelligence services, Khan’s case was not flagged for additional review.
In a statement, U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi affirmed, “We will prosecute this man to the fullest extent of the law.” Notably, Khan’s social media activity under the pseudonym “Shahzeb Jadoon” captured the attention of an FBI informant in October 2023, shortly after his relocation to the Toronto area. In a message on an encrypted chat platform, Khan allegedly expressed intentions for a significant attack on U.S. soil, comparing it to 9/11.
Court evidence from the extradition process revealed Khan’s requests for potential accomplices to obtain various items such as hunting knives, camouflage attire, tactical gear, AR-style rifles, and ammunition. Concurrently, an individual claiming to be an immigration consultant in Mississauga, Ontario, mentioned that Khan was in the process of seeking refugee status in Canada based on his sexual orientation.
Khan informed the Quebec court in February of his decision to consent to extradition for trial in New York, where he allegedly stated, “Brothers … we are going to NYC to slaughter them.”