FBI thwarts Mall of America terror plot after supplying suspect with assault rifle

The FBI arrested 18-year-old Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, in Richfield, Minnesota, for allegedly plotting an ISIS-inspired mass shooting at the Mall of America. Following a nearly two-year undercover sting, Mohamud was arrested after purchasing an AK-47 rifle and 200 rounds of ammunition for $600 from an undercover agent. Authorities state Mohamud targeted the mall due to its Jewish ownership, aiming to kill up to 60 people on October 24, 2026.

Details of the planned attack

• ▪Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud, an 18-year-old U.S. citizen of Somali descent, allegedly planned to carry out an ISIS-inspired mass shooting at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, on October 24, 2026
• ▪Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud planned to target attendees at an Asian arts event at the Mall of America during his planned late October 2026 attack
• ▪Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud allegedly intended to kill between 30 and 60 people during a planned mass-casualty attack on October 24, 2026, at the Mall of America

Radicalization and motives of the suspect

• ▪Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud expressed explicit antisemitic motives in messages to an FBI informant, stating he wanted to "harm the Jew" similarly to the perpetrators of the Bondi Beach attack in Australia
• ▪Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud selected the Mall of America specifically due to its Jewish ownership, stating in messages that killing 30 people there would stop people from visiting
• ▪Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud expressed a desire to travel to Somalia to join ISIS or al-Shabaab, but decided to attack the Mall of America instead because he could not afford the travel expenses

The FBI investigation

• ▪In 2025, FBI agents attempted to warn Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud's parents about his radicalization, but the parents declined to speak with the agents
• ▪The FBI conducted a nearly two-year undercover investigation into Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud starting in December 2024, utilizing a confidential informant and encrypted messaging applications

Arrest and legal proceedings

• ▪Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud appeared in federal court in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, for his initial hearing following his arrest on Tuesday, October 6, 2026
• ▪Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud was arrested on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, in a public park in Richfield, Minnesota, after purchasing an AK-47 rifle and 200 rounds of ammunition for $600 from an undercover FBI employee
• ▪Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud was charged in federal court with one count of purchasing or receiving a firearm and ammunition with the intent to commit a crime of terrorism

U.S. attorney's remarks

• ▪U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen stated that the charges announced Wednesday against Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud demonstrate that the threat of terrorism in support of ISIS and other foreign terrorist organizations remains active
• ▪U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen stated that the FBI's determination to intervene was made as soon as Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud began discussing specific dates and methods