Muhammad Shahzab Khan (21), a Pakistani national who was living in Canada on a student visa, admitted on Wednesday in federal court in New York to planning a large‑scale terror attack at 770, the Chabad World Headquarters in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.

According to the detailed indictment, Khan — who was extradited to the US from Canada— planned to carry out an assault using AR-style rifles around October 7, 2024, the anniversary of the Hamas massacre in Israel.  He chose the Chabad center in Brooklyn, saying that New York is “perfect to target Jews because it has the largest Jewish population in America.”

In messages he exchanged with undercover FBI agents (whom he believed were ISIS supporters), Khan said: “Even if we don’t attack an event, we could easily rack up a lot of Jews… we are going to slaughter them.”

He urged the undercover agents to acquire rifles and hunting knives to “slit their throats,” and gloated over the fact that if the plan succeeds, it will be “the largest attack on U.S. soil since 9/11.”

Khan was arrested in September 2024 in the town of Ormstown, Canada, only about 12 miles from the U.S. border, as he attempted to cross into the US with the help of a human smuggler. The arrest was part of a complex operation by law enforcement authorities in both Canada and the United States, who had been tracking him for many months.

In the recorded conversations, Khan is heard detailing how he planned to purchase automatic weapons, hunting knives, and large quantities of ammunition.

Khan admitted to all charges against him during Wednesday’s hearing, saying that he was motivated to support the Islamic State in retaliation for Israel’s killing of Palestinians in Gaza.

The judge set the sentencing date for August 12, 2026. Under federal law, Khan faces a sentence of up to life in prison.

“Khan planned a mass shooting at a Jewish center in New York City, timed to coincide with the anniversary of the October 7th Hamas attacks, with the explicit goal of killing as many Jews as possible,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg.

“Khan declared that New York City was the ‘perfect’ venue for his attack because of its large Jewish population and boasted that his plot could be the largest attack on U.S. soil since 9/11. The National Security Division will work tirelessly to ensure that terrorists like Khan face the full weight of American law.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)