Man Arrested in Plot to Kill Jews in New York on Oct. 7 Anniversary

A 20-year-old Pakistani citizen was arrested in Canada this week and accused of plotting to kill “as many Jewish civilians as possible” in New York City on or near the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israelis, according to a Justice Department complaint unsealed Friday.

Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, who lived in Canada, tried to cross the border with the intention of traveling to New York City, where he planned to carry out a mass shooting at a Jewish center in Brooklyn, in support of the Islamic State, prosecutors said.

“New york is perfect to target jews,” he wrote to an associate, according to the filing, adding, “We could rack up easily a lot of jews.”

Mr. Khan was taken into custody by Canadian authorities on Wednesday after trying to enter the United States from Ormstown, about 12 miles north of the New York State border.

The complaint, filed in the Southern District of New York, also mentions an unnamed “associate,” but it was unclear whether that person was in custody or an informant.

Mr. Khan is charged with one count of an attempt to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, ISIS, and faces up to 20 years in prison.

In a statement, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland thanked F.B.I. investigators and said U.S. officials were “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-fueled terrorist attack,” he said.

Starting last November, law enforcement officials in the United States and Canada began monitoring his electronic communications after he posted expressions of support for ISIS and