FBI arrests 18-year-old in Minnesota after foiling planned mall shooting

An 18-year-old was arrested after an FBI undercover operation that intercepted what authorities say was a planned mass shooting at a shopping mall in Minnesota.

Federal agents arrested Shejkdun Abdullahi Mohamud on Tuesday in a park in Richfield after he purchased an AK-47-style rifle and ammunition from an undercover FBI agent posing as a member of the Islamic State, prosecutors said. According to court filings, Mohamud paid $600 for the rifle and bought 200 bullets.

Investigation and motive

Prosecutors say the FBI monitored Mohamud for nearly two years. The criminal complaint states he had been exchanging messages with a confidential FBI informant since December 2024. Mohamud initially expressed intent to travel to Somalia to fight alongside al-Shabaab, but when he lacked funds for the trip he decided to carry out an attack inside the United States.

The filings allege Mohamud told the undercover contact he planned to strike on October 24, when a cultural event for the Hmong community was scheduled at the mall. He reportedly said he intended to kill non-Muslims and estimated the potential death toll at between 30 and 60 people. When asked whether he was sure of his plan, he answered: "Yes, I am 100 percent sure."

Mohamud was presented in federal court in St. Paul, where he told the judge he was unemployed and without a home, car or funds in a bank account. The federal public defender Siri Carlson McDowell represented him at the hearing.

U.S. authorities say the undercover operation prevented the plot from being carried out, and federal prosecutors are pursuing the case in St. Paul. A federal prosecutor, Daniel Rosen, said agents detected the threat in time and stopped the planned attack.

Photo: press material from the event