A man arrested Wednesday by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) tactical intervention group in the small town of Ormstown, in Montérégie, is suspected by the American justice system of having wanted to perpetrate an attack against the Jewish community of New York.
Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, a 20-year-old Pakistani resident of Toronto, was charged Friday by the U.S. Justice Department with attempting to provide material support and resources to a terrorist group, namely the Islamic State group.
According to the FBI investigation, the accused wanted to organize a shooting attack on a Jewish community center in Brooklyn on October 7, the anniversary of the violent attacks perpetrated by Hamas against Israeli citizens last year.
According to the Justice Department, Mr. Khan intended to cross the Canada-U.S. border illegally and then obtain automatic and semi-automatic weapons. “The defendant is suspected of planning a terrorist attack in New York City on or about October 7 of this year with the stated goal of massacring, on behalf of the Islamic State, as many Jews as possible,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement.
His plans were allegedly foiled by double agents with whom he shared his plans via social media.
He was arrested as he was heading towards the US border. He is believed to have used three different vehicles before being stopped in Ormstown, about 20 kilometres from the United States.
Muhammad Shahzeb Khan will appear before the Superior Court of Justice in Montreal on September 13. He will be charged with, among other things, wanting to leave Canada to commit an offence for a terrorist group and participating in the activity of a terrorist group.
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