Pakistani student pleads guilty in foiled New York Jewish centre terror plot

A Pakistani national has pleaded guilty to plotting an ISIS-inspired attack on a Jewish religious centre in New York City , a plan authorities said aimed to kill as many Jews as possible and could have become the largest attack in the United States since the September 11 attacks .

Muhammad Shahzeb Khan , 21, also known as Shahzeb Jadoon, entered the plea before US District Judge Paul G. Gardephe in Manhattan federal court to attempting to commit acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries . The charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, and his sentencing has been scheduled for August 12.

According to US authorities, Khan, a Pakistani citizen who had been living in Canada on a student visa since 2023, began posting pro-ISIS messages and propaganda supporting the Islamic State on social media in late 2023. Investigators said he later started planning terrorist attacks in the United States in support of the group.

During the investigation, Khan communicated with two individuals he believed were associates but who were actually undercover law-enforcement officers . He urged them to obtain AR-style assault rifles, ammunition and other weapons to carry out attacks on Jewish religious centres.

Prosecutors said Khan eventually selected a prominent Jewish religious centre in Brooklyn and planned to carry out the attack around October 7, 2024, the first anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel . He described New York as the “perfect” location because of its large Jewish population and boasted the attack could become the biggest strike in the US since 9/11.

Authorities said Khan also discussed renting a space next to the Jewish centre and using guns and knives during the assault.

In September 2024, Khan travelled from the Toronto area toward the US border with the help of a human smuggler but was arrested near Ormstown in Canada , about 12 miles from the US border, in an operation involving Canadian authorities and the Federal Bureau of Investigation . He was later extradited to the United States in 2025 to face terrorism charges.

During the court hearing, Khan admitted he intended to cross into the US “with the intention of killing Jewish people in Brooklyn.” He said he was motivated by anger over Israel’s actions in Gaza but now regrets the plot, describing it as a “terrible, extremely dangerous and morally reprehensible idea.”