BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — The FBI has arrested an 18-year-old Minnesota man accused of planning a mass shooting at the Mall of America in support of ISIS, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday.
Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud was arrested Tuesday in a Richfield park after paying $600 in cash to an undercover FBI employee for an AK-47-style rifle and about 200 rounds of ammunition, according to a federal criminal complaint unsealed Wednesday. Officials said the rifle had been rendered inoperable.
U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen said at a Wednesday news conference that Mohamud planned to carry out the attack on October 24, targeting crowds at the mall's Hmong Arts Celebration. Prosecutors said he wanted to kill between 30 and 60 people.
According to the complaint, the FBI began investigating Mohamud in December 2024 after he exchanged messages with a confidential source about joining ISIS or al-Shabaab. Mohamud later told the source he would carry out an attack on American soil instead, specifically naming the Mall of America. Court documents state he recorded a video pledging allegiance to ISIS.
Rosen said FBI agents tried to speak with Mohamud's parents about his radicalization in 2025 but were rebuffed.
No attack occurred and no one was injured. Mohamud is charged with knowingly receiving a firearm and ammunition while intending to use them to commit a federal crime of terrorism.
This is a developing story.
- National Correspondent Network
