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2026-10-08 Home Front: WoT
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Mall of America terror plot thwarted; suspected ISIS sympathizer arrested, FBI announces
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[FoxNews] Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud, 18, arrested after buying AK-47-style rifle from undercover FBI employee
An 18-year-old Minnesota man who allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS and discussed carrying out a mass shooting at the Mall of America was arrested after buying an AK-47-style rifle, magazines and ammunition from an undercover FBI employee, according to newly filed federal court documents.
Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud had allegedly spent months discussing his desire to carry out an attack, telling an FBI confidential source in September, "I can’t wait until I kill kuffar man. October 24 is the day insha Allah," according to an affidavit filed in federal court in Minnesota.
| Mohamud, who was born in the United States and is a U.S. citizen, is the son of Somali nationals who later became naturalized U.S. citizens, his mother in 2010 and his father in 2017. |
When the source later asked why he had chosen Oct. 24, Mohamud allegedly pointed to a "Hmong Arts Celebration" at the Mall of America, saying it would have "a lot of people," the affidavit states.
"Mohamud met with someone he believed to be a loyal member of ISIS to attempt to purchase an AK-47 rifle, knowing it would be used in a felony or federal crime of terrorism," Special Agent in Charge, FBI Minneapolis Field Office, Christopher Dotson said at a press conference Wednesday. "Mohamud planned to use the gun he bought in a high-traffic public area just a few weeks' time in support of a designated foreign terrorist organization."
Mohamud is now charged with knowingly receiving a firearm and ammunition while knowing or having reasonable cause to believe they would be used to commit a felony and federal crime of terrorism.
Mohamud, who was born in the United States and is a U.S. citizen, is the son of Somali nationals who later became naturalized U.S. citizens, multiple federal law enforcement sources told Fox News Digital.
His parents arrived in the U.S. through a New York City airport in 2000, according to the sources, though it remains unclear whether they entered on visas or as refugees. His mother became a naturalized citizen in 2010 and his father in 2017.
| To whom are his parents connected? Because all the Somalis seem to br connected to someone. |
FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News Digital in a statement that the suspect "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."
"Once again, this FBI is moving more effectively than we ever have before at stopping terrorists before they can attack Americans – with over 1,100 individuals prevented from conducting attacks, over 4,000 foreign terrorist organization related disruptions and arrests, a 38% increase, and more," Patel said. "We will continue to use every resource we have to detect and prevent acts of terrorism and wipe out their networks all over the country. Thank you to FBI Minneapolis, who did an outstanding job in the investigation and likely saved lives."
Mohamud appeared before a federal judge in Minnesota on Wednesday for an eight-minute initial hearing, according to federal court records.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright ordered Mohamud temporarily detained. He is scheduled to return to court Monday, Oct. 19, at 11 a.m. ET for a preliminary and detention hearing.
In a criminal complaint and affidavit filed in the U.S. District of Minnesota, the FBI said agents had been investigating 18-year-old Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud since December 2024, during which time he allegedly spoke to a source online about traveling to Somalia to join a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) to then carry out an attack in Minnesota.
Mohamud was charged with one federal count of knowingly receiving a firearm and ammunition while knowing or having reasonable cause to believe they would be used to commit a felony and a federal crime of terrorism, after he allegedly accepted an AK-47-style rifle and about 200 rounds of ammunition on October 6, believing the weapons would be used in support of a terror attack connected to ISIS.
The affidavit filed Wednesday said Mohamud lived with his mother in Minnesota and attended school for part of the time the investigation was underway. At one point, he sent photos of himself to the FBI’s source as he outlined a plan to meet and purchase the firearm at the Mall of America.
ALLEGED PLAN TO ATTACK THE MALL OF AMERICA
The affidavit, filed by Special Agent Keegan Rupenthal, portrayed what was described as an evolution for Mohamud, a U.S. citizen, from wanting to travel overseas and join a terrorist group to allegedly carrying out a terrorist attack in Minnesota.
According to Rupenthal, Mohamud initially told a confidential source he wanted to travel to Somalia and fight for ISIS, but over time he repeatedly said that if he could not afford to do that, he would instead conduct an attack on U.S. soil.
The investigator alleged he discussed several possible attack scenarios, including a shooting targeting the Mall of America during the Christmas season. A mass-casualty shooting was described, with 30 to 60 fatalities the alleged goal.
Rupenthal outlined how Mohamud planned to switch tactics if the shooting was not possible, instead renting a truck to drive through a crowd.
Through multiple conversations with the source on various social media platforms and accounts, Mohamud repeatedly expressed his desire to carry out the attack, Rupenthal alleged, at one point saying he was 100 percent committed.
The agent also detailed a video sent by Mohamud to the source in September 2026, in which he allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi. Underneath that video, the suspect said he made the video in order to show that if he carried out his planned attack, people would know that he gave his allegiance to the group.
THE FBI INVESTIGATION
Agents collected screenshots, recordings, and social media communications they say were from Mohamud to the confidential human source over 21 months on platforms including TikTok and Discord.
In May 2025, FBI agents attempted to interview the suspect at his home, but they were unable to speak to him. A woman believed to be Mohamud’s mother said he was not at the residence and put agents in contact with his father, who said he would pass details to his attorney.
The agents kept watch on the communications between the suspect and the source, and the source later put him in touch with who he believed was an ISIS-connected gun supplier, but who was actually an FBI undercover agent.
On October 6, that agent met with Mohamud in Minnesota and sold him the AK-47 rifle, four magazines, and approximately 200 rounds of ammunition for $600. During that meeting, prosecutors said, he outlined his plans for the shooting at an arts festival at the mall. After Mohamud took the weapon and ammunition, agents arrested him in a parking lot in Richfield, Minnesota.
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Posted by Skidmark 2026-10-08 00:00||
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