Terror suspect accused of plotting attack in New York came to Canada on student visa: minister

A man who was arrested last week for allegedly attempting to enter the U.S. illegally to carry out a mass shooting came to Canada on a student visa, Canada’s immigration minister says.

Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, was arrested in Ormstown, Que. and is facing terror charges in both Canada and the United States.

Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Tuesday that Khan, a Pakistani national, obtained a student visa in May 2023 and arrived in Canada in June of that same year. He said he wouldn’t be providing any further details about the suspect.

“Obviously there are criminal charges pending. As politicians, as elected officials, in order to make sure the judicial process is not compromised … it’s very important that we don’t comment,” Miller told reporters at the Liberal caucus retreat in Nanaimo, B.C.

U.S. authorities allege Khan intended to use automatic and semi-automatic weapons to carry out a mass shooting in support of ISIS at a Jewish centre in Brooklyn, New York — information police say they gleaned from conversations between the accused and two undercover officers.

Khan is facing three charges in Canada:

• Attempting to leave Canada to commit an offence for a terrorist group.
• Participating in the activities of a terrorist group.
• Conspiracy to commit an offence by violating U.S. immigration law – entering or attempting to enter the U.S. unlawfully.

Khan also faces a charge in the U.S. of attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, namely ISIS.

Khan’s case comes after Ahmed Fouad Mostafa Eldidi and his son Mostafa Eldidi were arrested earlier this summer for allegedly plotting to carry out a terror attack in Toronto.

Police said the father has Canadian citizenship, while the son does not.

They face nine charges in total, including conspiracy to commit murder for the benefit or at the direction of a terrorist group.

The father is also accused of committing an aggravated assault in 2015 for the benefit of the Islamic State somewhere outside of Canada.

The case prompted MPs to launch a committee investigation into how the two men entered Canada and how the father gained citizenship.

When asked Tuesday about the cases sparking concerns about Canada’s immigration system, Miller said the arrests of Khan and the Eldidis suggest Canada’s security system works.

“We are consistently looking internally at what we can do to make sure Canadians continue to be safe. But no one can pretend and stand honestly in front of you and say a well determined actor can’t come to this country,” he said.

“That’s why we have the security apparatuses we have in this country.”