Pakistani man to contest extradition over alleged plot to attack NYC Jewish centre, says lawyer

A Pakistani man accused of plotting to attack a New York City Jewish centre in support of Da'ish will contest his extradition hearing to the United States, his lawyer told Reuters.

Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, was arrested in Canada earlier this month as he allegedly tried to enter the US. He was charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organisation, namely Da'ish. The United States wants to extradite him.

“I have the mandate to contest the extradition hearing,” Khan’s lawyer, Gaetan Bourassa, told Reuters. “He is a young person, arrested, and we will see what is their proof to ask to be extradited.”

He would not comment on the case without seeing evidence from the US, which has not yet been presented. Khan was in Canada on a student visa, having entered the country in June, 2023. His lawyer would not say what he was studying, or where.

The US Department of Justice accused Khan of plotting a mass shooting at a Jewish centre in Brooklyn around October 7, 2024 — about a year after Hamas’s attack in Israel which triggered its deadly offensive in Gaza.

According to the US Department of Justice, Khan began posting his support for IS on an encrypted messaging application in November 2023. He allegedly communicated his attack plans to undercover agents.