A student from the University of Delaware has been apprehended and faces charges at both federal and state levels after authorities uncovered a supposed plan aimed at the University of Delaware Police Department.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware revealed that 25-year-old Luqmaan Khan, hailing from Wilmington, was arrested on Monday during a traffic stop in the area.
Upon searching his vehicle, officers from the New Castle County Police Department discovered several alarming items: a .357 caliber Glock handgun equipped with 27 rounds within a microplastic conversion firearm brace kit, three additional 27-round magazines, an armored ballistic plate, and a marble composition notebook, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors stated, “Within the handwritten notebook, Khan detailed additional weapons and firearms, potential uses for an attack, and strategies to evade law enforcement detection after such an attack. The notebook mentioned a University of Delaware Police Department member by name and included a building layout labeled with ‘UD Police Station’ alongside its entry and exit points.”
The New Castle County Police Department reported that several weapons were discovered in Luqmaan Khan’s vehicle during the traffic stop in Wilmington, Delaware, on Monday, November 25, 2025.
Khan faces federal charges for the illegal possession of a machine gun, a serious offense that can result in a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
University of Delaware interim President Laura Carlson said Khan was an undergraduate student at the time of his arrest.
“The University has temporarily separated the student from the University, including a ban from all UD campuses while legal matters are being resolved. We have been working closely with law enforcement throughout this matter and are sharing this information with you now that we have been cleared to do so,” she said in a statement to the campus community.
“There are no known or immediate threats to the University of Delaware community,” Carlson added. She described how authorities released “evidence of a plan that targeted the University of Delaware Police Department.”
“This is frightening to all of us,” Carlson said.
The New Castle County Police Department said it stopped a “potential threat targeting the University of Delaware Police Department.” (Google Maps)
The New Castle County Police Department (NCCPD) announced Tuesday that Khan is facing multiple charges at the state level, including felony counts of possession of a large capacity magazine and carrying a concealed deadly weapon, and a misdemeanor count of resisting arrest.
“On Monday, November 24, 2025, at approximately 11:47 p.m., Patrol Officers from B-Squad were conducting a property check in Canby Park West when they observed a white Toyota Tacoma in the parkland, after hours,” police said. “Officers initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle and contacted the driver, and sole occupant, 25-year-old Luqmaan Khan of Wilmington.”
“Officers developed probable cause to order Khan out of the vehicle, and he refused to comply. Subsequently, Khan resisted arrest and was taken into custody by the officers,” it added.
The following day, a search that included the FBI was carried out at Khan’s residence in Wilmington.
“Within, law enforcement recovered a Glock 19 9mm handgun equipped with an illegal machinegun conversion device, commonly called a ‘switch.’ Law enforcement also recovered a .556 rifle with a scope and a red dot sight, eleven more extended magazines, hollow point rounds of ammunition, and a two-plate tactical vest equipped with a single ballistic plate,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
The New Castle County Police Department said on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, that, “Luqmaan Kahn was arraigned and committed in lieu of $107,200 cash bail and subsequently turned over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for additional criminal charges.” (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
“This case is a quintessential example of federal and state law enforcement collaborating to neutralize a grave threat to Delaware before the worst could come to pass. I want to thank our dedicated law enforcement partners at the FBI and the NCCPD for their exceptional work. As always, we are proud to work with them to keep Delaware safe,” acting U.S. Attorney Julianne Murray said in a statement.
