FBI Arrests 18-Year-Old In Alleged Plot To Attack Mall of America

Mall of America is used to big crowds, drawing about 40 million visitors a year, more than any other tourist destination in the state.

Unfortunately, that is exactly what made it a target. Federal prosecutors say an 18-year-old Twin Cities man was planning a mass casualty attack at the Bloomington mall in support of ISIS. The FBI stepped in before he could carry it out.

It isn't the first time the nation's largest mall has been named as a potential target. Back in 2015, the Somali terror group al-Shabaab released a video calling for attacks on Mall of America and malls in Canada and England.

At the time, it was reported that the mall has its own counterterrorism unit as part of its security team. No attack happened.

FBI Arrests 18-Year-Old After Nearly Two-Year Investigation

Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud was arrested Tuesday, October 6, in a public park. According to the criminal complaint, he had just paid an undercover FBI employee posing as an ISIS member $600 for an AK-47 and 200 rounds of ammunition.

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The case had been building for a long time. According to the complaint, a confidential informant exchanged hundreds of messages with Mohamud from December 2024 until his arrest. Over that time, he allegedly talked about wanting to join a foreign terror group and, later, about carrying out an attack in Minnesota instead.

Prosecutors Say He Targeted A Community Celebration

Investigators say Mohamud told the informant he wanted to attack the Hmong Arts Celebration at Mall of America on October 24 because "it will be a lot of people."

According to the complaint, he also considered targeting the mall or Valleyfair in Shakopee around Christmas.

Prosecutors say he allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS in a video posted to Discord last month. They also say he told the undercover agent that part of his motivation was his belief that the mall's owners are Jewish.

Mohamud is charged in federal court with receiving a firearm and ammunition to commit a federal crime of terrorism, including material support for a designated foreign terrorist organization. He is being held in the Sherburne County Jail. It wasn't immediately known whether he has an attorney who can speak on his behalf.

What Federal Officials Are Saying

U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Daniel Rosen announced the arrest Wednesday. At a news conference, he said the FBI moved in once agents determined Mohamud was fully committed to a plan of attack.

Rosen also warned that the case shows the threat of terrorism and support for groups like ISIS remains "active and continuing."

As of Wednesday afternoon, Mall of America had not released a public statement about the case.

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A Reminder That Speaking Up Matters

This story could have ended very differently. However, it ended with an arrest instead of a tragedy, because the people watching the warning signs acted on them.

That's a lesson for all of us: if something you see or hear online or in person doesn't sit right, it's worth reporting. Tips can be submitted to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov, or you can call 911 if there's an immediate threat.