FBI Arrests 18-Year-Old in Mall of America Plot, Averting Planned Killing of 30 to 60
Updated
Updated · The Independent · Oct 7
FBI Arrests 18-Year-Old in Mall of America Plot, Averting Planned Killing of 30 to 60
3 articles · Updated · The Independent · Oct 7
Summary
Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud, 18, was arrested Tuesday in Richfield after paying $600 to an undercover FBI employee for an AK-47 and 200 rounds of ammunition, according to a criminal complaint.
Prosecutors said he planned an Oct. 24 attack at the Mall of America during a Hmong arts celebration and told an informant he wanted to kill non-Muslims — possibly 30 to 60 people.
The FBI had tracked Mohamud since December 2024, after messages showed admiration for recent attacks and interest in joining ISIS in Somalia before he allegedly turned to a local target.
Authorities said agents visited his home in May 2025 as concerns escalated, and the case ended with a controlled weapons sale meant to disrupt the plot before it could be carried out.