FBI Foils Alleged ISIS Massacre Plot At Mall Of America As Suspect Planned To Kill Up To 60 People
Mall Of America Terror Attack Allegedly Planned
Alleged ISIS Plot Targeted Up To 60 Victims
Federal Investigators Say A Minnesota Teen Planned To Attack A Crowded Cultural Celebration On 24 October Before An Undercover Firearms Operation Led To His Arrest
The FBI has arrested an 18-year-old man accused of planning an ISIS-inspired mass shooting at the Mall of America in Minnesota, where federal prosecutors allege he wanted to kill between 30 and 60 people during a crowded cultural celebration.
Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud, of Richfield, Minnesota, was arrested on 6 October 2026 after buying what he believed was a usable AK-47 rifle, four magazines and approximately 200 rounds of ammunition from an undercover FBI employee.
The rifle had been rendered incapable of firing before the transaction. Investigators arrested Mohamud shortly after he paid approximately $600 and took possession of the items.
The arrest followed an investigation that began almost two years earlier, during which prosecutors say Mohamud exchanged hundreds of messages with a confidential source, discussed joining terrorist organisations overseas and eventually developed plans for an attack inside the United States.
The alleged target was not chosen at random. Federal authorities say Mohamud identified the Mall of America because of his antisemitic beliefs and later selected 24 October, when a Hmong Arts Celebration was scheduled to take place.
No shooting occurred. Mohamud has been charged with a federal terrorism-related firearms offence, but the allegations have not been proven in court.
Prosecutors Say The Suspect Wanted To Kill Up To 60 People
The Mall of America is one of the largest and most recognisable shopping destinations in the United States. Located in Bloomington, near Minneapolis, it attracts large crowds through its retail stores, entertainment attractions and public events.
Prosecutors allege that Mohamud saw those crowds as an opportunity to inflict mass casualties.
According to the US Department of Justice, the suspect discussed attacking the shopping centre in July 2026 because he believed it was owned by Jewish people.
Investigators say he expressed a desire to kill between 30 and 60 people, believing an attack on that scale would discourage visitors from returning.
The claim about Jewish ownership was part of Mohamud's alleged motivation. It should not be confused with a verified description of the shopping centre's ownership.
By September, prosecutors say the proposed attack had developed around a specific date.
Mohamud allegedly identified 24 October and sent the confidential source a link to a Hmong Arts Celebration taking place at the mall.
The Hmong are an ethnic community with roots in parts of Southeast Asia. Minnesota has a substantial Hmong-American population, and cultural celebrations provide opportunities for communities to share traditional arts and heritage.
According to investigators, Mohamud referred to the people expected at the celebration in hostile religious terms and discussed targeting non-Muslims.
Those alleged messages are central to the prosecution's account because they connect a stated desire to commit violence with a particular location, date and public gathering.
The allegations also indicate that the proposed victims were not limited to any single religious or ethnic group. Prosecutors describe a broader intention to kill civilians in support of an extremist ideology.
How The FBI Tracked The Alleged Plot For Nearly Two Years
Federal investigators say their contact with Mohamud began in December 2024.
At that stage, the young man allegedly expressed a desire to travel to Somalia and join a designated foreign terrorist organisation.
The criminal complaint describes hundreds of messages exchanged through social media and private messaging applications over the following months.
Prosecutors say Mohamud discussed fighting overseas but repeatedly acknowledged that he lacked sufficient money to travel.
That financial obstacle appears to have become important in the progression of the alleged plot.
Rather than abandon his extremist ambitions, Mohamud allegedly told the confidential source that he would carry out an attack in Minnesota if he could not leave the United States.
Investigators say his communications later included explicit support for ISIS, the Islamic State terrorist organisation.
During August and September 2026, Mohamud allegedly discussed obtaining firearms, recruiting other participants and preparing for the proposed shooting.
Federal authorities also say he recorded a video pledging allegiance to ISIS.
The progression described by prosecutors moves from extremist statements about overseas travel towards a proposed domestic attack involving an identified venue, weapons and a planned date.
However, the criminal complaint presents the government's allegations. The defence has not yet had those allegations tested through a full trial.
The Undercover Rifle Sale That Led To His Arrest
On 6 October, investigators arranged a controlled firearms transaction in Richfield, Minnesota.
An undercover FBI employee posed as someone connected to ISIS and offered Mohamud a rifle, ammunition and magazines.
The package consisted of an AK-47-style rifle, four magazines capable of holding 30 rounds each and approximately 200 rounds of ammunition.
The price was around $600.
Before the meeting, the FBI had rendered the rifle inert, preventing it from being used as a functioning firearm.
According to the Justice Department, Mohamud paid for the equipment and reaffirmed his intention to use it to shoot people at the Mall of America.
Agents arrested him shortly afterwards.
The transaction is significant for two reasons.
First, investigators say it supplied evidence that Mohamud was willing to acquire a weapon for the alleged attack rather than merely discuss violence online.
Second, the FBI controlled the weapon involved in the transaction, allowing agents to intervene without supplying the suspect with a functioning rifle.
The case bears a resemblance to an earlier alleged ISIS-inspired plot targeting the New York State Capitol, in which investigators also used an inert device during an undercover operation.
Such tactics can help investigators prevent violence while gathering evidence. They can also lead to legal arguments over a suspect's independent intentions and the role played by undercover officers.
Those questions will depend on the evidence presented in court.
Why Investigators Believe ISIS Inspired The Alleged Attack
The Justice Department says Mohamud repeatedly expressed support for ISIS and referred to previous mass-casualty attacks as examples he wanted to emulate.
According to the criminal complaint, he discussed the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, and the New Year's Day 2025 vehicle attack in New Orleans.
He also referred to the Bondi Beach mass shooting in Australia.
The inclusion of those attacks matters because prosecutors allege that Mohamud drew inspiration from acts of mass violence and wanted to carry out a similar assault himself.
The Pulse nightclub attack killed 49 people in June 2016. The attacker pledged allegiance to ISIS during the incident.
The New Orleans attack occurred on 1 January 2025, when a driver deliberately struck pedestrians celebrating the New Year. Fourteen victims were killed, and authorities identified the attacker as inspired by ISIS.
ISIS lost control of the territorial state it had established across parts of Iraq and Syria, but its propaganda and affiliated networks have continued to inspire extremist violence internationally.
The organisation does not need to direct every attack for an individual to act in its name.
That distinction is relevant to the Mall of America investigation.
The public allegations describe extremist communications, a pledge of allegiance and an alleged intention to kill civilians in support of ISIS. They do not establish that ISIS commanders overseas directly ordered the proposed attack.
Investigators have described Mohamud as acting alone.
Why The October 24 Celebration Became A Target
The date identified in the complaint creates a particularly disturbing dimension to the case.
The Hmong Arts Celebration was a planned cultural event, not a political gathering or a military target.
Prosecutors allege Mohamud selected the occasion because it would bring people into the shopping centre.
The distinction is important. The alleged aim was to attack civilians attending or visiting a public venue, not to confront an armed adversary.
Investigators also describe hostility towards Jewish people and non-Muslims in Mohamud's communications.
Religious and ethnic prejudice can become a motivating factor in extremist violence, particularly when an individual begins identifying whole communities as legitimate targets.
In this case, prosecutors allege that Mohamud's extremist beliefs were accompanied by specific preparations for an attack.
The scheduled celebration gave investigators an identifiable date, allowing them to assess whether the suspect's statements were becoming an imminent operational threat.
The FBI intervened 18 days before that date.
Could The Alleged Attack Have Been Carried Out?
The criminal complaint describes a suspect who allegedly wanted to commit mass murder and took steps towards obtaining a weapon.
That is not the same as proving he had the independent capability to carry out the proposed attack.
The rifle supplied during the undercover operation was incapable of firing. The public record does not establish that Mohamud already possessed another functioning firearm suitable for the planned shooting.
Prosecutors nevertheless argue that his conduct demonstrated serious intent, including repeated discussions of the proposed target and his acceptance of what he believed was usable weaponry.
The precise distinction between intention, preparation and capability may become important as the criminal proceedings continue.
It is also why claims that the attack would definitely have killed 60 people would be misleading.
The figure represents the number of victims Mohamud allegedly wanted to kill. It is not a verified estimate of the casualties that would have occurred.
The broader problem of assessing alleged mass-shooting threats is illustrated by a separate New Orleans festival-shooting investigation, in which serious allegations ultimately did not produce an indictment.
Warnings, arrests and criminal convictions are different legal outcomes. Investigators must gather enough evidence to justify intervention, while prosecutors must ultimately prove the elements of a criminal offence.
How Mall Of America Responded
Following the arrest, Mall of America said that it maintained multiple layers of security, both visible and behind the scenes.
The shopping centre also said it would continue cooperating with local, state and federal law-enforcement agencies.
The investigation involved the FBI, the Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Bloomington Police Department, with assistance from the Internal Revenue Service's criminal investigation division.
There has been no confirmed mass-shooting incident associated with the alleged plot.
The case does, however, highlight the challenge of protecting large public venues that combine shopping, entertainment and cultural events.
Security agencies must assess potential threats while maintaining public access and avoiding unnecessary disruption.
A similar balance between early intervention and proof is central to Britain's ongoing RAF Fairford terrorism investigation, where investigators have been examining alleged preparations and possible wider involvement.
Although the cases involve different facts and alleged motivations, both demonstrate the legal importance of distinguishing suspected terrorist activity from conduct established in court.
What Charges Does Mohamud Face?
Mohamud was charged on 7 October 2026 with one count of knowingly receiving a firearm and ammunition in order to commit a federal crime of terrorism.
He made his initial appearance before US Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright that day.
The charge concerns the alleged acquisition of a weapon for terrorist purposes. It is not a murder charge, and no mass shooting took place.
His preliminary hearing was scheduled for 19 October.
Federal prosecutors will need to establish that Mohamud committed the charged offence, including the required connection between the weapon and the alleged terrorist purpose.
The evidence is expected to centre on communications with the confidential source, the alleged video pledging allegiance to ISIS and the undercover firearms transaction.
Mohamud is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
For the people planning to attend the Hmong Arts Celebration, the immediate consequence is that the alleged attack was disrupted before the date prosecutors say had been selected.
For the courts, the next task is different: deciding whether the evidence collected during almost two years of investigation proves that the accused crossed the legal threshold from extremist statements and alleged preparations into a federal terrorism offence.
Sources
US Department of Justice — Man Arrested And Charged For Role In Plotting A Mass-Shooting Event At The Mall Of America — Official announcement dated 7 October 2026, confirming the defendant, charge, arrest, planned target, alleged communications and controlled firearms transaction.
MPR News — Minnesota Man Arrested After FBI Alleges Mall Of America Attack Plot — Local reporting on the investigation, court appearance, Mall of America's security response and scheduled preliminary hearing.
Associated Press — FBI Says It Stopped A Mall Of America Terror Attack By A Teen After Agents Sold Him An Assault Rifle — Additional reporting on the undercover operation, the defendant's background and the government's account of the alleged plot.
Next Reads
Inside The Alleged ISIS Plot To Bomb New York's Capitol And Attack Senators — Another alleged ISIS-inspired attack disrupted through an undercover FBI operation involving an inert weapon.
Ex-Officer Accused Of Racist Mass-Shooting Plot Was Quietly Released Without Charges — Examines a separate alleged attack on a major public event and why prosecutors ultimately did not secure an indictment.
Seventh Arrest Deepens RAF Fairford Terror Probe As Investigators Examine Possible Iran-Linked Plot — Explains a major British counterterrorism investigation and the distinction between suspected threats and proven offences.
