Terrorism charges face Mississauga student extradited to the U.S.

A Mississauga student accused of a plot to kill Jewish people in New York has been extradited to the United States.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, a citizen of Pakistan who once lived in Mississauga, consented to the extradition order.

He was arrested in Quebec last September following the alleged plot to kill Jews on behalf of the Islamic State.

The DOJ said that Khan, also known as Shahzeb Jadoon, was allegedly planning the attack last Oct. 7.

He is now charged in the U.S. with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and attempting to commit terrorism that transcends national boundaries.

The 20-year-old is set to appear in a New York court on June 11.

The DOJ said he was arrested thanks to “quick action” by Canadian law enforcement, including the RCMP and a national GTA law enforcement team comprised of Peel Regional Police and other forces.

Before his arrest, Khan had been living in Mississauga since 2023, when he arrived on a student visa.

U.S. authorities allege that Khan intended to use “automatic and semi-automatic weapons” in a shooting at a Jewish centre in Brooklyn. The FBI became aware of the activities through pro-Islamic State messages found on Facebook.

After he shared ISIS propaganda online, he started communicating with undercover law enforcement officers, according to the DOJ. He told them he and an American associate, who has not been named, were planning an attack.

“During one communication, Khan noted that ‘if we succeed with our plan this would be the largest attack on U.S. soil since 9/11,'” the DOJ said.

Khan tried to reach the U.S. border on Sept. 4, 2024. The DOJ said he used three separate cars to travel through Canada and was stopped by Canadian authorities near Ormstown, Que., about 20 km from the border.

The allegations have not been proven in court.

If convicted, Khan faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

— with files from The Canadian Press