18-Year-Old Arrested in Foiled ISIS-Inspired Mall of America Shooting Plot
An 18-year-old man has been arrested and charged with planning an ISIS-inspired mass shooting at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, federal authorities said Wednesday.
Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud was taken into custody by FBI agents on Tuesday, October 6, moments after he allegedly bought a rifle and ammunition from an undercover FBI employee. Authorities said no attack occurred and no one was hurt at any point.
The Alleged Plan
According to a federal criminal complaint unsealed Wednesday, Mohamud planned to target a Hmong Arts Celebration event at the Mall of America on October 24. He allegedly chose the event because "it will be a lot of people," KSTP reported.
During the weapons purchase, Mohamud allegedly told the undercover agent he was "an active member of ISIS" and said part of his motivation was that the mall was owned by Jews.
When a confidential informant tried to talk him out of the plan, Mohamud allegedly replied, "I am 100% committed [sic] to the cause of dying for the sake of Allah only."
Investigators also said his anger over the deadly shooting at a San Diego mosque earlier this year played a role in his motivation, according to Valley News Live.
A Nearly Two-Year Investigation
The FBI began investigating in December 2024, after Mohamud exchanged messages with a confidential source about wanting to join a terrorist group. He first considered al-Qaeda and al-Shabaab before settling on the Islamic State.
Authorities said he talked about traveling overseas to join a group. If he could not raise enough money to travel, he allegedly said he would carry out an attack in Minnesota instead.
The informant eventually arranged for him to buy weapons from an undercover FBI employee. On October 6, Mohamud allegedly paid $600 in cash for an AK-47-style rifle, four magazines and about 200 rounds of ammunition. Investigators had already made the rifle inoperable.
He was arrested immediately after leaving the vehicle where the sale took place.
The Charges
Mohamud is charged in U.S. District Court in Minnesota with knowingly receiving a firearm and ammunition with the knowledge that they would be used to commit a federal crime of terrorism. He remains in federal custody. It was not immediately clear whether he has an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Daniel Rosen and FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dotson announced the case Wednesday, ABC News reported.
As with all criminal cases, the charges are accusations, and Mohamud is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
A Busy Target
The Mall of America, which opened in 1992 in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, is the largest shopping mall in the United States. With more than 500 stores, an indoor theme park and an aquarium, it draws tens of millions of visitors each year, making it a high-profile target. The October 24 event was expected to draw large crowds from Minnesota's Hmong community, one of the largest in the country.
The case is the latest in a string of terror plots federal agents say they have disrupted. In August, a woman was charged in an alleged ISIS-inspired plot to bomb the New York Capitol.
Federal officials have long relied on informants and undercover operations to identify people who express interest in carrying out attacks before they can act. In this case, the weapon Mohamud allegedly bought had been disabled before the sale, and authorities said no one was injured during the investigation.
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