Pakistani Pleads Guilty to Brooklyn Jewish Center Plot

A 21-year-old Pakistani national residing in Canada pleaded guilty in a Manhattan federal court to attempting acts of terrorism across national boundaries after plotting an ISIS-inspired mass shooting at a prominent Jewish religious center in Brooklyn, New York. Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, also known as Shahzeb Jadoon, faces a maximum sentence of life in prison when he appears for sentencing on August 12, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Paul G. Gardephe.

Khan's plan, which authorities described as aimed at causing mass casualties among the Jewish community, was timed to coincide with the one-year anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel. He selected New York City for its large Jewish population, according to court documents and statements from federal officials. Khan communicated his intentions to individuals he believed were supporters but who were actually undercover law enforcement officers. In those exchanges, he outlined acquiring AR-style assault rifles, ammunition, and knives for the attack and shared a photograph of the targeted site inside the Brooklyn center.

The plot began to take shape in November 2023, when Khan, who had arrived in Toronto in June...