From IRGC Training To ISIS Plots: Terror Cases Reveal Pakistan's Jihad Pipeline | Exclusive

Last Updated:March 07, 2026, 15:49 IST

Between 2024 & 2025, cases involving ISIS-inspired threats rose, often tied to online radicalisation networks that begin or intensify in Pakistan before suspects try attacks abroad

Pakistan has increasingly become a breeding ground for global jihadist activity, with multiple recent cases indicating that Pakistani nationals are being radicalised, recruited, or enabled in ways that allow extremist threats to reach American soil, investigations accessed by CNN-News18 have revealed.

The conviction of Pakistani national Asif Merchant on March 6 is the latest example in what security officials say is a wider systemic problem tied to Pakistan’s terror ecosystem rather than isolated incidents.

Merchant, who was convicted in the United States, had allegedly received training from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Pakistan beginning in early 2023. According to investigators, he was later dispatched to the US in 2024 with a plan to hire hitmen to assassinate prominent American political figures, including Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and Nikki Haley as retaliation for the killing of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani.

Authorities said Merchant paid $5,000 to individuals he believed were contract killers—who were in fact undercover FBI agents—and conducted surveillance on potential targets. His case has raised concerns about how Pakistan’s environment can be exploited by foreign powers such as Iran to recruit and train operatives for anti-US operations.

However, Merchant’s case is only one chapter in a growing list of incidents involving Pakistani nationals linked to extremist plots abroad.

In September 2024, 20-year-old Pakistani national Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, also known as Shahzeb Jadoon, was arrested near the US border while living in Canada on a student permit. Investigators say Khan was planning an ISIS-inspired mass shooting at a Jewish center in Brooklyn, New York.

Authorities allege he aimed to carry out the attack around the anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attacks and intended to kill as many people as possible. Khan reportedly attempted to recruit collaborators online, sought AR-style rifles and knives, and boasted the assault could become the largest attack on US soil since the September 11 attacks.

Khan was extradited to the United States in June 2025 and now faces charges of attempting to provide material support to ISIS and committing acts of terrorism transcending national borders. Investigators say the case demonstrates how extremist intent rooted in Pakistan can manifest in plots targeting the United States.

Another alarming case emerged in November 2025 when Pakistani national and University of Delaware student Luqmaan Khan was arrested after police discovered firearms, ammunition, a tactical vest, and a manifesto in his car and residence.

According to investigators, Khan had drafted plans for a campus mass shooting, writing that he intended to kill as many people as possible in pursuit of martyrdom. His notes reportedly included strategies to avoid detection and instructions for targeting responding police officers. During questioning, authorities said Khan described martyrdom as “one of the greatest things you can do."

US law enforcement officials say such incidents reflect a concerning trend of young Pakistani nationals abroad embracing extremist violence.

Over the past several years, multiple Pakistani citizens or individuals of Pakistani origin have been charged in the United States with supporting extremist organisations such as ISIS. In one case, a Pakistani doctor was sentenced to 18 years in prison for attempting to aid the group, while others have been prosecuted for providing material support to the Pakistani Taliban (TTP).

Security analysts note that between 2024 and 2025, cases involving ISIS-inspired threats increased, often tied to online radicalisation networks that begin or intensify in Pakistan before suspects attempt attacks overseas.

Pakistan’s long-standing relationship with extremist groups has also drawn scrutiny. The country has historically harboured Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the militant organisation responsible for the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks that killed 166 people, including several Americans.

Key LeT operative Sajid Mir and others operated from Pakistani territory for years with little action until sustained international pressure forced Islamabad to prosecute them.

Critics argue that such selective enforcement—cracking down on militants only under external pressure—has allowed anti-Western extremist networks to survive as long as they do not directly threaten Pakistan’s internal security.

While Pakistan has cooperated in certain counter-terror operations, including handing over select ISIS-K suspects, analysts say other groups have been tolerated when they align with strategic interests, particularly in relation to India or Afghanistan.

This approach, they argue, creates an environment where radicalisation networks, recruitment pipelines, and foreign intelligence operations can operate with limited oversight.

From the planners of the September 11 attacks who once found refuge in Pakistan to recent cases such as Merchant, Shahzeb Khan, and Luqmaan Khan, Pakistani nationals continue to surface in foiled terror plots targeting the United States.

Investigators warn that unless Pakistan dismantles these ecosystems rather than selectively cooperating against certain militants, the global community may continue to face recurring threats from individuals emerging from the same networks.

Merchant’s conviction, officials say, is not the end of the story, but only the latest chapter in a much longer and deeply concerning one.

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