Federal authorities arrested 18-year-old Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud in Richfield, Minnesota, on Tuesday after he allegedly purchased an AK-47-style rifle and ammunition from an undercover FBI employee. Prosecutors say he planned an ISIS-inspired mass casualty shooting targeting a festival at the Mall of America.
The arrest unfolded at gunpoint after a federal investigation into online radicalization. According to court documents filed in federal court, the suspect had spent nearly two years communicating with an FBI confidential source across various social media and encrypted messaging platforms.
How the FBI Investigation Unfolded Across Social Media
Federal investigators began monitoring Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud around December 2024, when he started exchanging messages on various social media platforms and messaging applications. By December 2025, his focus shifted toward supporting ISIS and carrying out violence domestically.
In his various messages, Mohamud allegedly indicated that the New Orleans New Years Eve attacker and Pulse Nightclub shooter Omar Mateen served as inspirations for his contemplated assaults. According to the Department of Justice, his intended targets for emulation included the June 2016 mass shooting at Pulse Nightclub, the New Year’s Day 2025 strike in New Orleans, and the Bondi Beach mass shooting that occurred in Australia in December 2025.
Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dotson of the FBI Minneapolis Field Office and U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen discussed the case involving Mohamud, a U.S. citizen whose parents are from Somalia.
U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen noted that agents attempted to speak with his family earlier, and urged families to take federal warnings seriously when law enforcement detects radicalization.
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.
U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen, via WCCO
Targeting the Mall of America and the October 24 Date
Investigators state that by July, the suspect concluded he lacked sufficient funds for international travel and resolved to mount an attack within the United States instead. Court filings show he considered multiple locations, including Valleyfair amusement park in Shakopee and the Mall of America in Bloomington. An FBI affidavit noted he said he wanted to attack the mall because it is owned by Jewish people, stating that if he killed even 30 people, no one would go there anymore.
By September, the planning sharpened around a specific date. Mohamud informed the source of his intention to strike the mall during the October 24 Hmong Arts Celebration, specifically selecting that occasion due to the large crowds it would attract.
The Undercover Rifle Purchase and Arrest in Richfield
To execute the plan, the FBI arranged an undercover weapons transaction. Citing the criminal complaint, Rosen stated that Mohamud undertook significant actions to conspire to kill blameless individuals on behalf of ISIS. His arrest came after he paid an undercover FBI employee $600 for an AK-47 and 200 rounds of ammunition, alongside four 30-round magazines. During a Wednesday press conference, Christopher Dotson stated that Mohamud met with an individual he believed to be a committed operative of ISIS in an attempt to buy an AK-47 rifle, fully aware it would facilitate a felony or a federal terrorism crime.
As detailed in the affidavit, Mohamud exited the automobile carrying the rifle, ammunition, and magazines inside a duffel bag before FBI agents placed him under arrest at gunpoint. Simon Osmoh commented on the alleged plot.
Teen Faces Federal Charges for Terrorism-Related Firearm Possession
On Wednesday, the 18-year-old was formally accused by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota of one count of receiving a firearm and ammunition knowingly, with the awareness or reasonable grounds to suspect they would serve in a federal terrorism crime or felony. He made his first appearance in federal court on Wednesday, Oct. 7.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Bejar and National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section Trial Attorney Ryan White are prosecuting this case. Details for this report were gathered from federal court records, the Sherburne County Jail’s online portal, and a media advisory issued by the U.S.
Instead of finding the means to kill countless innocent Americans, this defendant found a team of FBI agents there to arrest him and ensure he is held accountable in federal court. As U.S