Mall of America terror plot stopped, ISIS sympathizer arrested: charges

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The U.S. Attorney's Office filed criminal charges Wednesday against an 18-year-old man who was allegedly plotting an attack at the Mall of America. 

Man accused of targeting MOA

What we know:

Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud is federally charged with one count of knowingly receiving a firearm and ammunition while knowing or having reason to believe they would be used in a felony or federal crime of terrorism.

Dig deeper:

Mohamud was arrested after he purchased an AK-47. The charges detail his continued communications over messaging apps and TikTok with an informant over the course of months.

In those communications, authorities say Mohamud pledged his support to ISIS and his desire to attack the Mall of America.

In the charges, he allegedly said he wanted to attack the mall "because its owned by Jewish so if I kill even 30 people no one would go there anymore. I want to harm the jew just like brothers in Australia Bondi Beach harmed the Jews. I'll just go grab assault rifle, bomb too complicated, kill maybe 30-60 people insha Allah and have 260 ammo."

The charges also include messages where Mohamud discussed his desire to kill "kuffar" – a term that means "disbelievers" used for those who are not Muslim. One specific event Mohamud identified Oct. 24 as a target date, coinciding with a Hmong Arts Celebration.

The charges also describe his desire to travel to Somalia to join a terror organization. Authorities say Mohamud was born in the United States, but his parents are from Somalia.

Mohamud's arrest

Timeline:

FBI agents began investigating Mohamud as far back as December 2024. Agents attempted to interview him in May 2025 at his home but were told he wasn't home. At the time, Mohamud had recently turned 17 and agents were told he was still at school.

According to the complaint, Mohamud's father told agents that they did not want to speak, and they would have to talk with an attorney. However, U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen said authorities didn't suspect Mohamud's parents understood the extent of his radicalization.

Mohamud wasn't arrested until just this past Tuesday. U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen says the arrest occurred after they believed Mohamud became an immediate threat after he purchased the assault weapon and ammo.

Authorities react to arrest

What they're saying:

At a news conference on Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney's Office and FBI officials discussed Mohamud's arrest.

"The FBI yesterday arrested, and today we have charged, an individual who was planning a mass casualty attack in support of ISIS at the Mall of America later this month," said Rosen. "[Federal law enforcement was] able to detect a threat and disrupt it before the defendant carried out his intention to kill, in his words, maybe 30 to 60 people, as we allege in far greater detail in the complaint."

FBI officials described Mohamud's messages as "chilling."

"The messages this defendant allegedly sent to others were chilling," said FBI Minneapolis Special-Agent-in-Charge Christopher Dotson. "They document the idealization of ideologically-motivated violence, a callous disregard for the sanctity of human life, a blind hatred of people of other faiths, and a cold commitment to carrying out his vision of violence in our community."

Dotson praised his agents' ability to thwart the attack. "Instead of finding the means to kill countless innocent Americans, this defendant found a team of FBI agents there to arrest him and ensure he is held accountable in federal court."

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