Minnesota Man Charged in Alleged Mall of America Plot

Federal prosecutors in Minnesota charged 18-year-old Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud with knowingly receiving a firearm and ammunition while allegedly knowing they would be used in a felony or federal terrorism crime. Authorities say he was arrested Tuesday, October 6, after paying $600 to an undercover FBI employee for an AK-style rifle and ammunition during an investigation into an alleged plan to attack the Mall of America. No attack occurred, and authorities reported no injuries. The charge was announced Wednesday, October 7, after a federal complaint and affidavit were unsealed in U.S. District Court in Minnesota. Prosecutors allege Mohamud intended to use the weapons in an ISIS-inspired shooting at the Bloomington shopping complex. The complaint says the firearm was supplied by undercover personnel and rendered inert before the handoff; the approximately 200 rounds of ammunition were live. According to the complaint, an FBI investigation began in December 2024 and involved hundreds of messages between Mohamud and a confidential human source.