MINNESOTA MAN CHARGED IN ALLEGED ISIS-INSPIRED PLOT TO CARRY OUT MASS SHOOTING AT MALL OF AMERICA

MINNEAPOLIS — An 18-year-old Minnesota man has been arrested and charged after federal authorities accused him of preparing to carry out a mass-casualty shooting at the Mall of America in support of ISIS, including identifying an October attack date, discussing potential victims and obtaining a firearm, magazines and ammunition during an undercover FBI operation.

Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud, of Richfield, Minnesota, was charged by federal criminal complaint with knowingly receiving a firearm and ammunition with the intent that they be used to commit a federal crime of terrorism.

The FBI arrested Mohamud on October 6. He made his initial appearance the following day before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright.

According to the criminal complaint, the investigation stretches back to approximately December 2024, when Mohamud allegedly began exchanging hundreds of messages with a confidential source through multiple social-media and messaging applications.

Federal investigators allege Mohamud initially discussed traveling to Somalia to join a designated foreign terrorist organization and fight on its behalf. Prosecutors say he repeatedly stated that if he could not afford to travel overseas, he intended to carry out a mass-casualty attack in Minnesota in support of ISIS.

The alleged planning became more specific during 2026.

In July, Mohamud allegedly began discussing a shooting at the Mall of America in Bloomington, one of the largest shopping and entertainment complexes in the United States. According to the complaint, he claimed the mall was owned by Jews and said he wanted to kill between 30 and 60 people so others would become afraid to visit the property.

The allegations continued through August and September, when prosecutors say Mohamud discussed acquiring a firearm and recruiting other people to participate in the planned attack.

Federal authorities also allege that Mohamud recorded a selfie-style video in which he pledged allegiance to ISIS. The Justice Department released a still image from that recording showing Mohamud with most of his face covered while making the pledge.

Investigators say Mohamud repeatedly referenced previous mass-casualty attacks while describing the type of violence he wanted to carry out. According to the complaint, he discussed the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, the Bondi Beach mass shooting in Australia and the January 1, 2025 vehicle attack in New Orleans.

Those references are significant to the government’s case because prosecutors allege Mohamud was not speaking abstractly about extremist violence but was examining previous attacks as models while developing his own plans.

By September, according to federal authorities, Mohamud had allegedly selected October 24 as the date for his proposed attack.

The complaint states that Mohamud expressed a desire to kill “kuffar,” a term that can be used by extremists to describe non-Muslims. When the confidential source questioned whether a large gathering would be taking place on October 24, Mohamud allegedly indicated that numerous Asian attendees and other people he described using that term would be present at the Mall of America.

Investigators say Mohamud then sent the source information about a scheduled Hmong Arts Celebration at the mall.

The identification of a particular date, location and event marked a substantial escalation in the alleged planning because authorities allege Mohamud had moved from generalized statements about violence to selecting a specific public gathering.

Federal investigators also documented continued distribution of ISIS propaganda. In September, Mohamud allegedly sent additional extremist videos to the confidential source. The Justice Department released an image from one of those videos depicting armed individuals beneath an ISIS flag.

The investigation culminated on October 6 in an undercover operation designed to determine whether Mohamud would take possession of the weaponry he had allegedly sought.

According to the Justice Department, the FBI arranged for an undercover employee to sell Mohamud an AK-47-pattern rifle, four magazines capable of holding 30 rounds each and approximately 200 rounds of ammunition.

Before the transaction, FBI personnel rendered the rifle inoperable.

Prosecutors allege Mohamud paid approximately $600 in cash for the rifle, magazines and ammunition and took possession of those items.

During the transaction, authorities say Mohamud again confirmed that he intended to use the firearm and ammunition to shoot people at the Mall of America.

FBI agents arrested him shortly afterward.

The use of an inert firearm allowed investigators to carry out the controlled transaction without placing a functioning weapon into the hands of the defendant while documenting whether he would complete the purchase and allegedly reaffirm his intended purpose.

The federal charge focuses on Mohamud’s alleged knowing receipt of a firearm and ammunition in order to commit a federal crime of terrorism.

The case therefore does not depend solely on extremist speech or possession of propaganda. Prosecutors allege Mohamud progressed through a series of concrete steps that included discussing a target, identifying a date, selecting a public event, considering recruitment of additional participants, pledging allegiance to ISIS and acquiring what he believed was an operational firearm and ammunition.

FBI Director Kash Patel said agents stopped an individual who allegedly intended to use a weapon in a mass-casualty attack in support of ISIS and credited the FBI Minneapolis Field Office with preventing the plot from advancing further.

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said federal authorities allege Mohamud intended to emulate previous ISIS-inspired mass-casualty attacks and said the Justice Department’s National Security Division would continue working with the FBI and Joint Terrorism Task Force on investigations involving ISIS-inspired threats inside the United States.

U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen for the District of Minnesota said the complaint alleges Mohamud took substantial steps toward murdering civilians in the name of ISIS and credited investigators with disrupting the alleged plot before an attack occurred.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Bloomington Police Department, with assistance from IRS Criminal Investigation.

Trial Attorney Ryan White of the Justice Department National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Bejar for the District of Minnesota are prosecuting the case.

The arrest occurred more than two weeks before the October 24 date prosecutors say Mohamud had identified for the planned attack, meaning authorities intervened before the alleged plot could reach the date selected in his communications.

Mohamud has been charged by criminal complaint and has not been convicted. The allegations concerning his intentions, communications, allegiance to ISIS and planned attack must be proven in federal court beyond a reasonable doubt, and he remains presumed innocent unless and until that occurs.

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