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.