US authorities charge Pakistani man for plotting attack in New York

• Muhammad Shahzeb Khan arrested from Ormstown, Canada.
• Suspect may face upto 20 years in prison for alleged terror plot.
• Khan is set to appear in court in Montreal on September 13.

WASHINGTON: Authorities in the United States have charged a Pakistani man for allegedly planning to carry out an attack in New York City in support of the Daesh, The News reported quoting the US Department of Justice.

Identified as Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, also known as Shahzeb Jadoon, was arrested on Wednesday and is accused of plotting a mass shooting at a Jewish centre in Brooklyn.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland has said that Khan aimed to kill "as many Jewish people as possible." 

The suspect, who may face up to 20 years in prison, allegedly attempted to travel from Canada to the US where he intended to use automatic and semi-automatic weapons to carry out the attack, according to the indictment.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in a statement Friday they arrested Khan on Wednesday in Ormstown, Quebec, south of Montreal.

The Pakistani man had allegedly told two undercover law enforcement officers of his plans to create "a real offline cell" of Daesh supporters to carry out an attack, the indictment alleged.

Khan — set to appear before a court in Montreal on September 13 — allegedly instructed them to obtain AR-style assault rifles, ammunition and other materials to carry out the attacks and identified specific locations where the attacks would take place.

Prosecutors have said that the suspect  New York City because it has "the largest Jewish population in America."

"We are deeply grateful to our Canadian partners for their critical law enforcement actions in this matter. Jewish communities — like all communities in this country — should not have to fear that they will be targeted by a hate-fuelled terrorist attack," said Garland.

The development comes weeks after authorities in Washington charged a Pakistani man named Asif Merchant for allegedly having ties with Iran in connection to a foiled plot to assassinate US politicians.

Merchant, 46, had sought to recruit people in the US to carry out the plot in retaliation for the US killing of Iran's Revolutionary Guards' top commander Qasem Soleimani in 2020, according to a criminal complaint.

Sources had told Geo News that the suspect holds a Master's degree in Management Systems and had worked in the banking sector.

Married and a father of two, he travelled to Iran several times from November 2, 2017, to April 8, 2024, on three passports.

Looking into the matter, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) sources said, no criminal record of the suspect was found in Pakistan.