Prosecutors Charge 18-Year-Old in Mall of America Plot to Kill 30-60 People
Updated
Updated · FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul · Oct 7
Prosecutors Charge 18-Year-Old in Mall of America Plot to Kill 30-60 People
3 articles · Updated · FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul · Oct 7
Summary
Federal prosecutors said Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud, 18, was charged after allegedly plotting an ISIS-inspired mass-casualty attack at the Mall of America later this month.
An FBI complaint says he bought an AK-47 and ammunition, then told an informant he wanted to kill 30 to 60 people at the mall because it was "owned by Jewish."
Oct. 24 was identified as a target date, coinciding with a Hmong Arts Celebration, and authorities said they moved to arrest him Tuesday once he became an immediate threat.
Messages cited in the case span months across apps and TikTok, with prosecutors alleging he pledged support to ISIS, discussed killing "kuffar," and expressed interest in traveling to Somalia to join a terror group.
The FBI said it had tracked Mohamud since December 2024 and disrupted the attack before it could be carried out, calling the alleged messages chilling evidence of ideologically driven violence.
How did a teenager's social media browsing escalate into a heavily armed plot against the nation's largest mall?
Was the teenager truly capable of executing this devastating attack without the weapons supplied during the undercover sting?
Thwarted Mall of America Terror Plot: Inside the 2026 FBI Sting, Minnesota’s Radicalization Crisis, and the Battle Over Prevention
Overview
The October 2026 Mall of America plot shows how poverty and lack of youth programs in Minnesota’s Somali community made young people vulnerable to extremist recruitment and online propaganda. When the FBI identified Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud’s radicalization, they warned his parents, but the warning was ignored. Financial barriers stopped Mohamud from joining al-Shabaab abroad, so he shifted to planning a domestic attack. The FBI’s sting operation led to his arrest and federal charges, prompting the Mall of America to boost security. However, heavy reliance on stings and CVE programs deepened mistrust in the community, making families less likely to cooperate with law enforcement.