Wilmington, Delaware – December 4, 2025 – Authorities have arrested 25-year-old Luqmaan Khan, a University of Delaware undergraduate student and Pakistani-born naturalized U.S. citizen, after uncovering evidence of an alleged plot to carry out a mass shooting targeting the university’s campus police department. The arrest on November 24, 2025, revealed an arsenal of unregistered firearms, body armor, and a handwritten notebook detailing plans for a deadly attack and references to achieving “martyrdom.”
The incident began just before midnight when New Castle County Police officers, conducting routine patrol in the closed Canby Park West in Wilmington, noticed a white Toyota Tacoma pickup truck idling in a secluded area. The driver, later identified as Khan, appeared nervous and refused to comply with commands to exit the vehicle. After a brief struggle, officers placed him under arrest for resisting and related traffic violations.
A subsequent search of the truck uncovered a loaded Glock .357 pistol modified with a brace kit to function as a short-barreled rifle, four 27-round extended magazines, over 100 rounds of hollow-point ammunition, ballistic body-armor plates, binoculars, a laptop, and a marble composition notebook. Inside the notebook were pages of handwritten entries described by prosecutors as a detailed attack plan against the University of Delaware Police Department headquarters on the Wilmington campus. The notes included a hand-drawn floor plan of the building with marked entry and exit points, tactical instructions, evasion techniques, and repeated phrases such as “kill all – martyrdom.” One specific university police officer was named in the writings, though the motive for targeting that individual has not been disclosed.
During questioning at the scene, Khan reportedly told officers that achieving martyrdom was “one of the greatest things you can do.”
Two days later, on November 26, FBI agents executed a search warrant at Khan’s Wilmington residence. There they recovered an AR-style semi-automatic rifle with a red-dot sight, a second Glock 9mm pistol illegally converted with an auto-sear switch into a fully automatic machine gun capable of firing up to 1,200 rounds per minute, eleven additional extended magazines, more hollow-point ammunition, and a bulletproof vest. None of the firearms were registered.
Khan, who immigrated to the United States from Pakistan as a child and later became a naturalized citizen, had no prior criminal record. He was enrolled as an undergraduate at the University of Delaware’s smaller Wilmington campus, which focuses on associate and professional programs. University leadership confirmed his student status and stated he has been immediately removed from all classes pending the outcome of the investigation. Neighbors described him as previously friendly but increasingly withdrawn over the past several months.
Khan initially faced state charges including possession of large-capacity magazines, carrying a concealed deadly weapon, and resisting arrest. On December 1, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware announced a federal charge of illegal possession of a machine gun. He remains in federal custody ahead of a detention hearing scheduled for December 11.
Local and federal officials praised the responding officers for their diligence. New Castle County Police Master Corporal Richard Chambers told reporters, “They just randomly drove up in Canby Park West. Rather than just telling him the park was closed, they did police work — and that made all the difference.”
The case has sparked intense online discussion and misinformation, particularly on international social media, where forged documents falsely claiming Afghan nationality for Khan have circulated. U.S. authorities have emphasized that the investigation currently points to a lone actor and have found no evidence of coordination with any broader network, though the probe into Khan’s digital footprint and potential radicalization continues.
In the wake of the arrest, the University of Delaware has increased security presence on its Wilmington campus and expanded mental-health outreach programs. The incident serves as another sobering reminder of the challenges universities face in identifying and intervening with individuals who may be spiraling toward violence.
For now, law enforcement credits proactive patrol work with preventing what could have been a devastating attack on a college campus and its police force. The investigation remains active as federal prosecutors prepare for future court proceedings.
