Justice · Thursday, October 8, 2026
Minnesota 18-year-old charged with plotting an ISIS-inspired shooting at the Mall of America
The File desk · Oct 8, 2026, 10:53 AM UTC
Status
Confirmed as an arrest and a charge. The Justice Department posted the release on Oct. 7, 2026. A complaint is an accusation. Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud is presumed innocent.
- Confirmed
The FBI arrested Mohamud on Oct. 6, shortly after he paid about $600 cash for a rifle, magazines, and ammunition. The rifle had been made unable to fire.
- Confirmed
He is charged with
. The allegations are unproven.Legal instrument
Receiving a firearm and ammunition to commit a federal crime of terrorism
A federal crime to receive a firearm or ammunition knowing it will be used to commit a federal crime of terrorism, per the Justice Department’s description of the Mall of America charge. The release cites no statute section.
Federal prosecutors say an 18-year-old from Richfield, Minnesota, planned to shoot people at the Mall of America on Oct. 24, during a Hmong arts celebration. Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud was arrested Oct. 6, shortly after he paid about $600 cash to an undercover FBI employee for an AK-47, four magazines, and about 200 rounds. The FBI had made the rifle unable to fire. The complaint says he spent nearly two years messaging a confidential FBI source about joining a terror group in Somalia or attacking in Minnesota. He is charged with Legal instrument A federal crime to receive a firearm or ammunition knowing it will be used to commit a federal crime of terrorism, per the Justice Department’s description of the Mall of America charge. The release cites no statute section.Receiving a firearm and ammunition to commit a federal crime of terrorism
Mohamud made a first appearance Oct. 7 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright in the District of Minnesota. The Justice Department's release number is 26-1152. The department says a complaint is merely an allegation.
According to the complaint, in July 2026 he wrote about attacking the mall because he claimed it was owned by Jews. He named the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Bondi Beach in Australia, and the 2025 New Year's Day attack in New Orleans as models. He wrote that he wanted to kill 30 to 60 people and sent a video pledging allegiance to ISIS.
The investigators named in the release are the FBI, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, Bloomington police, and IRS Criminal Investigation. The prosecutors are the National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section and the U.S. Attorney's Office for Minnesota.
The charge, as the department describes it, is Legal instrument A federal crime to receive a firearm or ammunition knowing it will be used to commit a federal crime of terrorism, per the Justice Department’s description of the Mall of America charge. The release cites no statute section.Receiving a firearm and ammunition to commit a federal crime of terrorism
What is still unknown or disputed
- The maximum penalty. The release does not state it.
- The case number.
- Whether he is detained, whether he has a lawyer, and whether he has entered a plea.
- The Mall of America's response. It was not fetched.
Primary sources
Every claim in this story is drawn from the documents below. If a fetch failed, that is recorded on the card.
Source 1
Man Arrested and Charged for Role in Plotting to Conduct a Mass-Shooting Event in Support of ISIS at the Mall of America
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs · October 7, 2026
The FBI arrested Mohamud shortly after he paid about $600 cash for the rifle, magazines, and ammunition and had those items in his possession.
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/man-arrested-and-charged-role-plotting-conduct-mass-shooting-event-support-isis-mall-america
Source 2
FBI press releases
Federal Bureau of Investigation · October 7, 2026
10.07.2026 Man Arrested and Charged for Role in Plotting to Conduct a Mass-Shooting Event in Support of ISIS at the Mall of America
https://www.fbi.gov/news/press-releases