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U.S. Attorney General says Brooklyn Jewish center was intended target in failed terror attack
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Sep 7, 2024
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Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Sep 7, 2024
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A 20-year-old Pakistani national living in Canada has been arrested for alleged plans to carry out a terrorist attack at a Jewish center in Brooklyn the U.S. Justice Department announced Friday.
The man, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, allegedly had “the stated goal of slaughtering, in the name of ISIS, as many Jewish people as possible,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a prepared statement Prosecutors say he was planning to carry out the attacks on Oct. 7, the anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel which sparked an ongoing war in Gaza.
“Jewish communities – like all communities in this country – should not have to fear that they will be targeted by a hate-fueled terrorist attack,” Garland added.
Khan, who also went by the name Shahzeb Jadoon, is being charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to ISIS, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison if convicted. The DOJ did not name the Jewish center that he was allegedly planning to attack.
Khan began sharing plans to carry out a mass shooting — along with ISIS propaganda and literature — on social media and encrypted messaging apps as early as last November, according to the complaint.
In online conversations with undercover law enforcement officers, Khan further confirmed his plans – and his intention to carry out the terrorist attack, including a desire for others to help him acquire AR-style rifles and “some good hunting [knives], so we can slit their throats.”
Around Sept. 4, Khan used three separate cars in an attempt to reach the U.S. before he was stopped just 12 miles from the border.
“Thanks to the investigative work of the FBI, and the quick action of our Canadian law enforcement partners, the defendant was taken into custody,” Garland said.
Hate crimes in New York City are reportedly up by nearly 13% in 2023, compared to the year before, with almost half of those incidents targeting Jewish people, according to a report from the state comptroller last month. Of the 1,089 hate crimes reported last year, 477 – or 44% – were described as anti-Jewish.
And in the months after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, both Jewish and Muslim residents in the U.S. reported a sudden rise in hate crimes against both communities.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Tagged
hate crimes
terrorism
public safety
us attorney's office
brooklyn
department of justice
canada
Giulia Heyward
Giulia Heyward is a breaking news reporter on the Day-Of desk. She previously worked at NPR, as a breaking news reporter, and the New York Times, as a reporting fellow on the national desk. Her work has also appeared in CNN, The Atlantic and Politico. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or more securely on signal at 917-715-1458.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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