FBI Foils Alleged ISIS Plot to Attack Mall of America; 18-Year-Old Arrested

MINNEAPOLIS — Federal authorities announced Oct. 7 that the FBI had foiled an alleged ISIS-inspired plot to carry out a mass shooting at the Mall of America, arresting 18-year-old Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud of Richfield, Minnesota, Reuters and USA Today reported.

Mohamud was arrested Oct. 6 in a Richfield park moments after an undercover FBI employee sold him an AK-47 rifle, four 30-round magazines and about 200 rounds of ammunition for $600, according to a federal complaint unsealed Oct. 7. He was charged with one count of knowingly receiving a firearm and ammunition to commit a federal terrorism crime, which carries up to 15 years in prison.

Prosecutors said Mohamud told an FBI source he planned to kill 30 to 60 people at the mall's Oct. 24 Hmong Arts Celebration because he expected a large crowd. The investigation, which began in December 2024 when Mohamud was 16, tracked nearly two years of encrypted messages in which he discussed joining al-Shabaab or ISIS overseas and, unable to afford travel, turned toward attacking Americans at home. In July, he allegedly said he wanted to kill non-Muslims at the mall, claiming its owners were Jewish.

According to the complaint, Mohamud spent months discussing his desire to carry out an attack, and in September told the source he could not wait to kill. When the source asked why he chose Oct. 24, Mohamud pointed to the Hmong Arts Celebration, saying the event would draw a large crowd. He made his initial court appearance Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright.

"This individual allegedly obtained a weapon he hoped to use in a mass casualty attack in support of ISIS, but this FBI arrested him and put a stop to his plans," FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement. U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen said the case shows the ISIS-inspired threat remains "active and continuing." The Mall of America, the largest mall in the United States with more than 500 stores, a theme park and an aquarium, said it was cooperating with law enforcement.

The complaint also showed that, before his arrest, Mohamud had studied the Mall of America's layout and security arrangements and had taken concrete steps to obtain weapons.

Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 图：美国购物中心（Mall of America）入口标识。摄影：Tylervigen，CC BY 4.0，来源：Wikimedia Commons

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