Delaware arrests Pakistani born student after discovery of weapons and alleged attack plans targeting university police, federal charges follow
By Raja Zahid Akhtar Khanzada
Delaware: A Pakistani born American student is facing federal charges in Delaware after authorities uncovered weapons, body armor, and what prosecutors describe as detailed plans to attack the University of Delaware Police Department. The case has rattled the campus community and raised new questions about lone-actor violence and early detection.
According to the United States Department of Justice, twenty five year old Luqmaan Khan, an undergraduate at the University of Delaware, was arrested late on the night of November twenty four after New Castle County police officers stopped his white Toyota Tacoma in Canby Park West. Officers say Khan appeared nervous and refused to comply with instructions to exit the vehicle. He was taken into custody for resisting arrest. What police found inside the truck was far from routine.
A three fifty seven Glock handgun fitted with a stabilizing brace, multiple loaded high capacity magazines and a ballistic plate were recovered from the vehicle, along with a composition notebook. The notebook, prosecutors say, contained handwritten notes describing potential methods to attack the university’s police department. One page included a diagram of the police station, marked with entry and exit points and the printed label “UD Police Station.” Another section referenced a named officer. There were also statements about “martyrdom” and its perceived virtue.
“This was not a standard stop. This was a very shocking discovery,” said Master Corporal Richard Chambers of the New Castle County Police. “What officers thought was simply a person in a park after dark turned out to be something far more dangerous.”
The discovery prompted an urgent collaboration between county police, the FBI and federal prosecutors. On November twenty five, investigators executed a search warrant at Khan’s Wilmington residence, where they recovered another Glock handgun equipped with a device known commonly as a “Glock switch,” a modification that converts a semi-automatic pistol into a fully automatic weapon. Court documents classify the altered firearm as a machine gun. A rifle was also seized from the home. According to federal records, no weapons are registered to Khan.
Prosecutors allege that during questioning Khan described martyrdom as “one of the greatest things you can do,” calling it a personal goal. The affidavit characterizes these statements as central to the government’s concern that the handwritten plans constituted more than casual fantasy.
The University of Delaware moved quickly to reassure students. Interim President Laura Carlson confirmed that Khan has been temporarily separated from the university and barred from campus pending the resolution of his legal case. “There are no known or immediate threats to the University of Delaware community,” she wrote, while acknowledging that the evidence presented in the federal press release was “frightening to all of us.” Carlson expressed gratitude to local and federal agencies for what she called a diligent, coordinated investigation.
Court filings note that Khan is a United States citizen who was born in Pakistan. He has no prior criminal record. He is currently represented by a federal public defender and remains in custody. A detention hearing is scheduled for December eleven, when a judge will determine whether he will be released under conditions or held until trial.
The case continues to develop, and investigators have not indicated whether they believe anyone else was involved or aware of the alleged plans. For now, the arrest has prompted campus reflection on the thin line between a quiet night patrol and the prevention of a potentially catastrophic attack.
