FBI agents have foiled an alleged terror attack plot targeting the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, after monitoring an 18-year-old suspect for nearly two years.
According to the FBI, Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud was arrested on one count of obtaining a firearm to carry out an act of terrorism.
Mohamud had been on the FBI’s radar since December 2024, when he began exchanging messages with a confidential informant.
He was arrested on October 7 in a public park after allegedly paying $600 to an undercover FBI employee posing as a member of the Islamic State for an AK-47 rifle and 200 rounds of ammunition, according to a criminal complaint.
Mohamud appeared in a yellow jail uniform for his initial appearance on Wednesday in federal court in St. Paul.
He told the judge that he did not have a job, own a house or car, or have any money in the bank, while he was represented by federal public defender Siri Carlson McDowell. Carlson McDowell and Mohamud’s relatives declined to comment after the hearing.
According to an FBI agent’s sworn complaint, Mohamud repeatedly told the confidential informant in chat messages that he intended to attack and kill non-Muslims at the mall on October 24, when a Hmong arts celebration is scheduled to take place.
When the informant asked whether he was serious about carrying out the attack, Mohamud replied, “yes i am 100% sure,” according to the complaint, adding, “I would have backed out by now if I wasn’t sure.”
The FBI agent said Mohamud’s messages also expressed admiration for recent terror attacks and showed an interest in travelling to Somalia to join ISIS.
The complaint said Mohamud later decided he could not afford to travel to Somalia and instead planned to attack the mall.
US Attorney Daniel Rosen said Mohamud is an American-born US citizen of Somali descent.
Rosen urged parents to take seriously any indication that their children may be becoming radicalised, particularly when federal law enforcement raises concerns about their activities.
According to Rosen, federal agents “were able to detect a threat, and disrupt it” before Mohamud allegedly carried out his intention to kill between 30 and 60 people, as detailed in the complaint.
The alleged plot comes amid concerns over recent shootings involving Somali teenagers as victims and suspects, including a gang-related shooting in Bloomington in which more than 100 rounds of ammunition were fired.
With concerns over terrorism and violence growing in Minnesota, some law enforcement officials are calling for a regional task force to help prevent further attacks in the state.