Washington DC - A 20-year-old man was arrested in Canada for allegedly planning a terrorist attack on a Jewish center in New York City, US Attorney General Merrick Garland said on Friday.

Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, also known as Shahzeb Jadoon, was arrested on Wednesday in Canada in relation to a complaint filed in the Southern District of New York, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) said. Khan is a Pakistani citizen residing in Canada.

"The defendant is alleged to have planned a terrorist attack in New York City around October 7th of this year with the stated goal of slaughtering, in the name of ISIS, as many Jewish people as possible," said Garland, using an acronym for extremist militia organization Islamic State.

On October 7, 2023, militants from Hamas and other extremist Palestinian organizations carried out an unprecedented massacre in southern Israel.

They reportedly killed more than 1,200 people and took another 250 hostage in the Gaza Strip.

US authorities allege that Khan attempted to travel to New York City and carry out a mass shooting with automatic and semi-automatic weapons at a Jewish center in the borough of Brooklyn.

According to the US complaint, the 20-year-old started stating his support for Islamic State online in November 2023, also distributing group propaganda. Among those he communicated with were two undercover law enforcement officers.

Khan is being charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization. If found guilty he would face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.