U.S. terrorism case against former Ont. student includes ‘classified’ national security material

U.S. prosecutors have taken steps to protect “classified” national security material they say will be part of their case against a former Toronto-area resident accused of plotting a shooting rampage targeting Jews in New York in 2024.

The development underlines the stakes at play as the jury trial of alleged ISIS supporter Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, scheduled to begin May 26, draws closer.

RCMP arrested the now 21-year-old Pakistani citizen roughly 20 kilometres from the U.S. border, in Ormstown, Que., on Sept. 4, 2024. U.S. authorities said an FBI investigation had uncovered Khan’s purported efforts to recruit co-conspirators and amass an arsenal, including AR-style rifles and hunting knives, before planning to attack a Jewish centre in Brooklyn.

Khan, who was living in Mississauga, Ont., on a Canadian study permit, has pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges.

A new filing signed by a judge in a New York federal court this week places strict guidelines on who can access specific evidence, given the “case will involve information that has been classified in the interest of national security.”

Read more: CBC News