Man eyed Minnesota's Mall of America for attack, pledging allegiance to ISIS, federal prosecutors say

An 18-year-old man accused of telling an FBI informant he planned to carry out an attack later this month at Mall of America was arrested at gunpoint Tuesday in Richfield, Minnesota, during an arranged meeting to buy an assault rifle, according to a federal criminal complaint filed Wednesday.

Minnesota U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen and FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dotson discussed the case involving Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud, a Twin Cities resident and U.S. citizen, in a news conference Wednesday afternoon, where Rosen praised the FBI for its "diligence" in thwarting the attack.

"They were 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," Rosen said.

In the complaint, authorities say a "confidential human source" exchanged "hundreds of bi-directional messages through multiple social media and encrypted messaging applications" with Mohamud from December 2024 until Tuesday. In those exchanges, Mohamud allegedly "expressed his desire to travel to Somalia" to join al-Shabaab and "fight on its behalf and/or commit a mass casualty attack" in Minnesota.

"The messages this defendant allegedly sent to others were chilling. They document the idolization of ideologically motivated violence, a callous disregard to 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 said. "Mohamud allegedly sought martyrdom in carrying out his plans to murder innocent civilians."

The complaint says the FBI contacted Mohamud's parents in May 2025, but they weren't cooperative.

"The FBI attempted to speak with his parents having seen that this young man was becoming radicalized, and those attempts were rebuffed by the parents," Rosen said. "I just would say to parents all over Minnesota and, for that matter all over America, if you get the indication, especially if you hear from federal law enforcement, that your son or daughter is being radicalized to the point where federal law enforcement wants to come and give you that warning, heed those warnings."

In July, Mohamud told an informant he didn't have enough money to go to Somalia, according to the complaint. He allegedly said he would attack in the United States instead, and that if he did, he wasn't doing it "for any worldly matter" but "for the sake of Allah only." 

Mohamud allegedly went on to say in a direct message to the source that he considered carrying out an attack at Mall of America in Bloomington or Valleyfair amusement park in Shakopee. An FBI affidavit says he wrote that he might buy two pistols online first.

The complaint says Mohamud said he wanted to attack the mall "because it's owned by Jewish." He said he was inspired in part by last year's deadly antisemitic attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia.

Last month, Mohamud told the source he wanted to carry out an attack at the mall during the Hmong Arts Celebration on Oct. 24, saying "it will be a lot of people," according to court documents.

In another message last month, the affidavit says Mohamud wrote that he had been watching video of the 2016 attack at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, and thought he could do the same.

"I just walk in and shoot," Mohamud wrote, according to the complaint.

Court documents also note Mohamud sent the source a video on Discord in which he allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS.

On Tuesday, Mohamud was arrested during an arranged meeting with the source in the parking lot of a Richfield park, according to Rosen. The affidavit says he had left an undercover employee's vehicle with the rifle, four magazines and 200 rounds of ammunition when he was arrested. The filing describes the weapon as a Norinco AK-47 assault rifle, model Mac-90 Sporter, and the ammunition as about 200 live rounds of 7.62x39-caliber.

A Richfield man says he witnessed the arrest during a visit to the dog park. 

"They flew out of their vehicle and one of the FBI agents kicked my door shut," said Mike O'Brien. "I was just trying to go to the dog park"

O'Brien says he saw a swarm of up to 30 agents take down a suspect.

"They became aware that this was a radicalized young man who needed to be watched, and in fact, in this young man's case, that radicalization progressed to the point where he planned in the most serious of ways to carry out a mass casualty attack," Rosen said.

Authorities allege Mohamud "knowingly received a firearm and ammunition" with reasonable cause to believe they would be used to commit a felony and a federal crime of terrorism, including providing or conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Mohamud made his first court appearance Wednesday.

Simon Osamoh previously served as the head of counterterrorism for the Mall of America, now he is the CEO of Kingswood Security Consulting. Osamoh says with tens of millions of visitors each year, and its proximity to transit and the airport, the mall has been a known target in the past.

"Terrorists, or people with that sort of ideology, they favor places of mass gathering which Mall of America is," he said.

Osamoh said the mall has close connections with law enforcement and layers of security pointing to facial recognition, K9 teams and undercover officers.

"I was incredibly concerned but I wasn't surprised," Osmoh said of the alleged plot.

He referred to Minnesota cases just over a decade old, involving men inspired to join foreign terror groups.

Prosecutors accused a group of Somali Americans of plotting to join ISIS overseas. Some were caught trying to fly to Syria. Three men were later convicted at trial in Minnesota, others pleaded guilty.

"I think what Mall of America will be doing in 24, 48 hours is say did we miss anything?" said Osamoh. "Was there anything that we missed that could have identified this individual earlier?"

"We are grateful to the FBI and its law enforcement partners for their vigilance and extraordinary investigative work in identifying, disrupting and removing this threat and protecting the community we all share," the mall said in a statement. "The safety and security of everyone who visits and works at Mall of America has always been our highest priority."