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An 18-year-old American citizen from Richfield, Minnesota, was arrested on Oct. 6 after an undercover FBI operation that agents say prevented a planned mass-casualty attack at the Mall of America. Federal prosecutors announced the charge on Oct. 7, saying the defendant faces one count of knowingly receiving a firearm and ammunition to commit a federal crime of terrorism.
Arrest and federal charge
Authorities identified the defendant as Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud, an American-born citizen of Somali descent. The U.S. Department of Justice said Mohamud was taken into custody moments after handing roughly $600 in cash to an undercover FBI employee for an AK-47–style rifle, four 30-round magazines and about 200 rounds of ammunition. Investigators had disabled the firearm before the transaction, according to court filings cited by prosecutors.
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Investigation and timeline
Prosecutors said the investigation into Mohamud stretched nearly two years. Court records cited by the Department of Justice say Mohamud began exchanging hundreds of messages with a confidential FBI source around December 2024 and, over time, discussed traveling to Somalia to join a foreign terrorist organization before deciding he lacked funds and would instead plan an attack inside the United States.
By July 2026, those communications had produced a specific target and date, according to the complaint. Mohamud allegedly identified the Mall of America and told the confidential source he wanted to kill at least 30 people and as many as 60. In August and September 2026, prosecutors say he forwarded propaganda videos to the confidential source and recorded himself pledging allegiance to ISIS; he also named several completed attacks he said he wanted to emulate, including the 2016 Pulse Nightclub massacre in Orlando, the April 2024 stabbing at Westfield Bondi Junction in Sydney, and the Jan. 1, 2025 vehicle-ramming attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans.
Planned date and event
According to filings, Mohamud selected Oct. 24 as his intended attack date after sending the confidential source a link to a Hmong Arts Celebration scheduled at the Mall of America. Prosecutors say he chose the event because he expected a large number of attendees and described potential victims using the Arabic term “kuffar” (non‑Muslim). The complaint also alleges Mohamud told the confidential source he was attempting to recruit participants and obtain weapons to carry out an attack in the name of ISIS.
The sting operation
On Oct. 6, an undercover FBI employee posing as an ISIS associate arranged the sale in a public park in Richfield, several miles from the Mall of America. After Mohamud accepted the disabled weapon and ammunition and confirmed to the undercover operative that he planned to open fire on mall visitors, FBI agents placed him under arrest. He made his initial court appearance Oct. 7 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright in the District of Minnesota.
Officials and prosecution team
FBI leadership praised the Minneapolis field office for the arrest. The Department of Justice announced the charge on Oct. 7 and named the prosecution team as Trial Attorney Ryan White from the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Bejar. Prosecutors said the Bloomington Police Department and IRS Criminal Investigation provided support during the operation.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg was quoted by prosecutors saying, “The National Security Division will continue to work closely with the FBI and Joint Terrorism Task Force to track down and prosecute ISIS-inspired terrorists in the United States.” U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen for the District of Minnesota said Mohamud had, prosecutors allege, “took substantial steps to plot to murder innocent people in the name of ISIS.”
Mall of America context
The Mall of America in Bloomington draws more than 40 million visitors annually and, according to the filing, has drawn extremist attention in the past. Prosecutors noted a 2015 video from Somalia-based Al-Shabaab that named the Bloomington mall as a potential target, a threat that prompted federal officials at the time to increase security at the property while saying there was no credible plot. The current case, prosecutors say, reflects a longer pattern of documented extremist interest in major public venues.
The defendant currently faces the single federal count announced by the Department of Justice; additional details and any further charges would appear in subsequent filings as the case proceeds through the federal courts.
