NEW YORK (Diya TV) — U.S. officials indicted 20-year-old Pakistani national Muhammad Shahzeb Khan for allegedly planning a terrorist attack on New York City’s Jewish communities. Arrested in Canada, Khan faces charges for plotting the attack in support of ISIS, targeting the city due to its large Jewish population.

The U.S. Department of Justice reported that Khan was apprehended on Wednesday following an investigation involving both Canadian and American law enforcement agencies. Prosecutors allege that Khan planned to carry out the attack around October 7, the anniversary of the October 7, 2022, Hamas attacks in Israel, or on Yom Kippur, a major Jewish holiday.

Khan, who lives near Toronto, Canada, allegedly discussed his plans via encrypted messaging apps with individuals he believed were ISIS affiliates but were actually undercover police officers. According to these communications, Khan intended to target Jewish institutions in New York due to the city’s significant Jewish population.

He allegedly instructed the undercover agents to acquire firearms and other materials needed for the attack. Khan also paid a human smuggler to assist him in crossing into the United States. On September 4, he attempted to enter the U.S. using three different vehicles but was arrested about 12 miles from the U.S.-Canada border.

The investigation, led by the FBI and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), revealed that although Khan’s actions had intensified, he did not pose an imminent threat before his arrest. RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme condemned the planned attack, stating, “This planned antisemitic attack against Jewish people in the U.S. is abhorrent, and there is no place in Canada for this type of ideological and hate-motivated crime.”

FBI Director Christopher Wray also condemned the plot, emphasizing its seriousness. “The defendant was allegedly determined to kill Jewish people here in the United States, nearly one year after Hamas’s horrific attack on Israel,” Wray said.

Khan faces charges of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking his extradition from Canada. He is scheduled to appear in court in Montreal on September 13.