Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, a 21-year-old Pakistani national also known as Shahzeb Jadoon, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to one count of attempting to commit acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries.

The plea took place before U.S. District Judge Paul G. Gardephe in federal court in Manhattan. Khan faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, with sentencing to be determined later.

Khan plotted an ISIS-inspired mass shooting at a prominent Jewish religious center in Brooklyn known as Location-1 in court documents. He intended to use AR-style assault rifles, hunting knives to slit throats, ammunition, and other materials to kill as many Jews as possible, specifically targeting Israeli Jewish chabads. He timed the attack around the one-year anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel, boasting that New York City was ideal due to its large Jewish population and that it could be the largest attack on U.S. soil since 9/11.

According to the Department of Justice, Khan began expressing support for ISIS on social media in November 2023, posting propaganda and discussing attack plans. He communicated with undercover FBI officers posing as co-conspirators and mentioned a U.S.-based associate. By August 2024, he focused on the Brooklyn target and attempted to enter the U.S. via a human smuggler from near Toronto on September 4, 2024. Canadian authorities arrested him in Ormstown, about 12 miles from the border.

Khan was extradited to the United States in June 2025 after cooperation between U.S. and Canadian officials, including the RCMP and Canada's Department of Justice.

"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," Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said. U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton for the Southern District of New York added, "Muhammad Khan planned to carry out a horrendous attack on a venerated Jewish center in New York City in support of ISIS."

Acting Assistant Director Coult Markovsky of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division noted that the plot was disrupted around the October 7 anniversary. FBI New York Field Office Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle Jr. emphasized the agency's commitment to protecting New York City's Jewish community. NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch highlighted the department's role in preventing hate-fueled violence.

The investigation was conducted by the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, involving the FBI, NYPD, and over 50 agencies. The case is prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the Justice Department’s National Security Division.