A man accused of trying to slip into the United States to carry out a terror attack against Jewish communities in New York City on behalf of ISIS was arrested by Canadian and U.S. investigators. Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, also known as Shahzeb Jadoon, was arrested Wednesday in Ormstown, Quebec, about 12 miles (19 km) from the U.S. border.
Canada Detains Man
Charged him with attempting to provide material support and resources for a designated foreign terrorist organization. US officials said that Khan, a Pakistani citizen living near Toronto, was in the planning stages of a rifle attack aimed at either the anniversary of Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel or the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur.
After months of surveillance, he has been finally arrested due to communications and intercepts as he was planning something. He reportedly had contacts with a few individuals related to extremist groups and was seeking to get some material that could help him execute this attack. However, they have refused to spill the nature of the attack, as they argue giving more information would risk exposing intelligence operations underway
This incident prompted highly praised words from the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, when he saluted the strong collaboration of security agencies. “The collaborative efforts of our intelligence and law enforcement agencies once more demonstrated our commitment toward making Canadians safe and our allies safe,” he said. “We will be vigilant also to ensure no threats find their way to our shores.”
But the arrest also draws authorities from the United States. New York City Mayor Eric Adams thanks officers from the neighboring country for the prompt response.”We appreciate the prompt and decisive action of our Canadian counterparts,” said Adams. “New York City remains vigilant and prepared, and we continue to cooperate with all our partners for the security of our residents.”
The probe goes on, but questions are already popping up as to how such an operation could have been planned by Khan and what can be done in the future to preclude such threats. Warranted underling the case are international intelligence-sharing and vigilance at the recognition of threats.
According to experts, in this case only, it is shown how wise and global technology-advanced terrorism is, as these threats mostly come from unsuspected sources, and therefore, it will require tremendous collaboration to deal with it properly. “This incident portrays the complexity that modern terrorists display, and the need for international cooperation to counter-terrorism activities is indeed significant,” said Dr. Lisa Evans, a security analyst. “It also underlines the call to continue the strength of security measures and intelligence practices.”
He is held in Canadian custody under legal process to decide his future. The legal process that considers available evidence against him weighs broader implications that this may have toward national and international security.
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