By GlobalDeskNews Staff
The FBI says it stopped a Mall of America terror plot before it could turn deadly. Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud, an 18-year-old from Richfield, Minnesota, was arrested on Tuesday, October 6, after paying an undercover FBI employee about $600 in cash for a Norinco AK-47 rifle, four 30-round magazines, and roughly 200 rounds of ammunition. The rifle had been rendered inert before the sale, but the ammunition was live.
The arrest, announced at a Minneapolis news conference on Wednesday, ended a nearly two-year investigation. Prosecutors say Mohamud had been plotting an ISIS-inspired attack on the Mall of America in Bloomington — America's largest shopping center — and had zeroed in on October 24, when a Hmong Arts Celebration was scheduled at the mall.
He is charged by complaint with one count of knowingly receiving a firearm and ammunition to commit a federal crime of terrorism. He made his initial court appearance Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright and will stay in custody until a detention hearing on October 19. The Justice Department notes a complaint is merely an allegation; he is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Mall of America terror plot: what the complaint alleges
Starting in December 2024, Mohamud exchanged hundreds of messages with a confidential FBI source on Telegram, Signal, Discord, and TikTok, prosecutors say. In them, he discussed traveling to Somalia to fight for a designated terrorist organization — naming al-Shabaab, al Qaeda, and ISIS at different points — and repeatedly said that if he couldn't afford the trip, he'd carry out a mass-casualty attack in Minnesota instead.
In July 2026, after concluding he lacked the money to travel, he allegedly wrote, "so I will do the attack here." That same month he named the Mall of America, for an antisemitic reason: he claimed it was owned by Jews and wrote that killing 30 to 60 people there would keep people away. He also expressed a desire to kill non-Muslims and sent the source a link to the October 24 Hmong celebration, saying crowds would be large.
Through August and September, the complaint alleges, he discussed buying a gun, recruiting others, and sent a selfie-style video pledging allegiance to ISIS. On September 29 the undercover source asked if he was really going through with it. Mohamud answered, "yes i am 100% sure." Prosecutors say he admired recent ISIS-inspired attacks — Bondi Beach in Australia, the New Year's Day 2025 New Orleans ramming, and the Pulse nightclub massacre.
How the FBI caught him
Agents watched Mohamud leave home Tuesday and meet the undercover employee in a public park in Richfield. Inside the vehicle he handed over the cash, took the rifle and ammunition, and — per the affidavit — reaffirmed his plan to shoot people at the mall. He was arrested the moment he stepped out.
During that meeting, he also described his own radicalization, saying he'd explored al-Shabaab, al Qaeda, and ISIS before settling on ISIS, the affidavit says. Officials are charging him as a single actor; the FBI's Minneapolis chief, Christopher Dotson, called the messages he allegedly sent "chilling."
The bureau had tried to warn the family first. U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen said federal agents attempted to speak with Mohamud's parents about his radicalization in 2025 but were rebuffed — the mother said he was at school; the father declined to share anything and said he'd provide an attorney's contact. At the news conference, Rosen urged parents everywhere to take such warnings seriously. Mohamud was born in the U.S. and turned 18 in April.
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Why officials say the threat is still active
The Justice Department framed the case as proof the domestic terror threat hasn't faded. FBI Director Kash Patel said Mohamud "allegedly obtained a weapon he hoped to use in a mass casualty attack in support of ISIS," and that agents stopped him in time. Rosen told reporters the charges showed "the threat of terrorism in support of ISIS and other foreign terrorist organizations is active and continuing."
Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges, appearing alongside Rosen, admitted he was shaken, saying "this type of hatred for this country is something that I just don't understand." The mall called the news "unsettling and concerning," thanked the FBI for its "vigilance and extraordinary investigative work," and said it keeps multiple layers of visible and behind-the-scenes security.
Why it matters
The Mall of America — 500-plus stores, an indoor theme park, an aquarium — is one of America's busiest public spaces, exactly the kind of soft target security officials worry about. That Mohamud allegedly timed the attack to a specific cultural celebration follows the playbook of past plots aimed at packed events.
The case also shows how radicalization works now: a teenager, radicalized almost entirely online over 21 months through encrypted apps and propaganda videos, drifting from wanting to travel abroad to deciding to strike at home. And the rebuffed warning to his parents raises a hard question — where can intervention work before arrest becomes the only option?
What happens next
Mohamud stays in federal custody until his October 19 detention hearing, when a judge decides whether he remains jailed. Because he was charged by complaint, prosecutors will need a grand jury indictment to take the case to trial — standard in federal terrorism cases, and months away.
Investigators are still digging into his online activity, including his alleged talk of recruiting others. Officials say he's charged as a lone actor, but that probe continues. For now, October 24 at the Mall of America — the date he allegedly circled — will pass under the watch of the same agencies that stopped the plot. Related GlobalDeskNews coverage: the Georgia block-party shooting, Punjab's Section 144 terror alert, and France's protest crackdown.
Key Takeaways
- The FBI arrested 18-year-old Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud on October 6 after he bought an AK-47 (rendered inert) and 200 live rounds from an undercover agent for about $600.
- Prosecutors allege an ISIS-inspired plot to attack the Mall of America on October 24, timed to a Hmong Arts Celebration, aiming to kill 30 to 60 people.
- The probe ran nearly two years from December 2024, tracking his messages on Telegram, Signal, Discord, and TikTok, plus a selfie video allegedly pledging allegiance to ISIS.
- His stated motive was antisemitic — he claimed the mall was Jewish-owned — and he allegedly wanted to kill non-Muslims, citing Bondi Beach, New Orleans, and Pulse as inspiration.
- The FBI's 2025 attempt to warn his parents was rebuffed; Mohamud, born in the U.S., turned 18 in April.
- Charged with receiving a firearm and ammunition to commit a federal terrorism crime, he stays in custody until a detention hearing on October 19; he is presumed innocent.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud?
An 18-year-old from Richfield, Minnesota, born in the United States, whom federal prosecutors allege spent nearly two years becoming radicalized online before plotting an ISIS-inspired mass shooting at the Mall of America. He is charged with one count of receiving a firearm and ammunition to commit a federal crime of terrorism, and is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
What was the alleged attack plan?
Per the criminal complaint, Mohamud planned to shoot up the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, on October 24, 2026, during a Hmong Arts Celebration, telling an informant he wanted to kill 30 to 60 people. He had also considered the Valleyfair amusement park around Christmas before settling on the mall as his target.
How did the FBI catch him?
After a nearly two-year undercover operation, agents watched Mohamud meet an undercover FBI employee at a Richfield park on October 6, pay about $600 for an AK-47 (made inoperable beforehand), four magazines, and 200 live rounds — then arrested him as he left the vehicle, after he allegedly reaffirmed his attack plan.
Was the plot connected to ISIS?
Prosecutors allege he explored al-Shabaab, al Qaeda, and ISIS before settling on ISIS, sent a selfie video pledging allegiance to it, and shared terrorist propaganda. He is being charged as a single actor, and the FBI says its investigation into his contacts and alleged recruitment talk is still going.
What did his parents know?
U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen says federal agents tried to discuss Mohamud's radicalization with his parents in 2025 but were rebuffed — his mother said he was at school, and his father declined to share information, saying he'd provide an attorney's contact. Rosen urged parents nationwide to heed such law-enforcement warnings.
Why was the Mall of America targeted?
It's the largest shopping center in the U.S., with 500-plus stores, an indoor theme park, and an aquarium, drawing tens of millions of visitors yearly. Mohamud's stated reason was antisemitic — he claimed Jewish ownership and wrote that killing 30 to 60 people there would drive visitors away — and he allegedly wanted to kill non-Muslims.
What happens next in the case?
Mohamud remains in federal custody after his October 7 initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright. A detention hearing on October 19 will decide whether he stays jailed; prosecutors will then need a grand jury indictment to move toward trial, which would be months away.
Sources
- Reuters — FBI arrests man for plotting mass shooting at Mall of America (Oct 7, 2026; full page opened)
- CNN — Federal prosecutors in Minnesota charge man with terrorism after he planned to target the Mall of America (Oct 7, 2026; full page opened)
- U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs — Man Arrested and Charged for Role in Plotting to Conduct a Mass-Shooting Event in Support of ISIS at the Mall of America (Oct 7, 2026; primary source, full page opened)