Federal agents arrested an 18-year-old Minnesota man after prosecutors say he moved from online discussions about extremist violence to an alleged plan to carry out a mass shooting at the Mall of America later this month.
According to CBS Minnesota, Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud was taken into custody Tuesday, October 6, during an arranged meeting in Richfield, Minnesota. Federal investigators allege Mohamud believed he was purchasing a rifle and ammunition from someone connected to ISIS. Instead, the person involved in the transaction was working undercover for the FBI.
The Mall of America attack plot had been on investigators’ radar for nearly two years. CBS Minnesota reports that a confidential FBI source exchanged hundreds of messages with Mohamud across social media and encrypted messaging platforms beginning in December 2024. Prosecutors allege those conversations included repeated statements about traveling overseas to join a terrorist organization or carrying out violence in Minnesota.
U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen said authorities believed the threat eventually became serious enough to require intervention. “This was a radicalized young man who needed to be watched,” Rosen said, according to the Associated Press.
Federal court documents cited by CBS Minnesota allege Mohamud initially discussed traveling to Somalia and joining al Shabaab before later talking about committing an attack in the United States when he could not afford the trip. Prosecutors say the Mall of America became one of the locations he considered.
By September, authorities allege, the plan had become more specific. Court records cited by FOX 9 say Mohamud identified October 24 as the intended date and pointed to the Hmong Arts Celebration scheduled at the Mall of America. He allegedly said of the event, “it will be a lot of people.”
The mall’s official Hmong Arts Celebration event page continued to list the gathering as scheduled for October 24 from noon until 5 p.m. as of Wednesday afternoon. The annual cultural event is set for the Huntington Bank Rotunda and is promoted as a family-friendly celebration featuring live performances, traditional fashion, music and storytelling centered on Hmong culture.
Investigators also allege Mohamud referenced previous mass shootings while discussing how an attack could unfold. According to CBS Minnesota, a federal affidavit says Mohamud wrote, “I just walk in and shoot,” after discussing video from the 2016 Pulse nightclub attack in Orlando. Prosecutors further allege he posted a video on Discord pledging allegiance to ISIS.
The undercover operation culminated Tuesday when Mohamud allegedly paid $600 for a Norinco AK-47 rifle, four magazines and approximately 200 rounds of 7.62×39 caliber ammunition. According to Valley News Live, investigators had rendered the rifle inoperable before the exchange for safety reasons. Agents arrested Mohamud immediately after he left the undercover employee’s vehicle carrying the weapon and ammunition.
That detail adds important context to early headlines stating that the FBI supplied Mohamud with an assault rifle. While investigators did provide the firearm as part of the controlled transaction, local reporting on the federal affidavit says the weapon had already been disabled before it was handed over. No attack occurred, and no one was injured during the operation, according to Valley News Live.
Federal prosecutors have charged Mohamud with one count involving knowingly receiving a firearm and ammunition while knowing, or having reasonable cause to believe, that they would be used to commit a felony or federal crime of terrorism. FOX 9’s reporting on the federal filing says the alleged terrorism conduct includes attempting to provide support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
Rosen said investigators believe the alleged Mall of America attack plot could have resulted in dozens of deaths. According to CBS Minnesota, Rosen said agents disrupted the threat before Mohamud could carry out what prosecutors describe as his intention to kill “maybe 30 to 60 people.”
Federal authorities have stressed that the allegations are contained in a criminal complaint and remain subject to the court process. The Associated Press reported Wednesday that it was not immediately clear whether Mohamud had an attorney available to comment on the allegations. As with all criminal defendants, Mohamud is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
