18-Year-Old Charged with Terrorism Plot at Mall of America

An 18-year-old has been charged by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for his alleged plan to carry out a mass casualty attack in support of ISIS at the Mall of America this month.

Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud, a U.S. citizen of Somali descent, was arrested on Tuesday. He faces charges for attempting to obtain an AK-47 and 200 rounds of ammunition with the intention of committing terrorism and supporting a designated foreign terrorist organization, according to U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen during a press briefing.

“Today’s charges highlight the ongoing threat of terrorism connected to ISIS and other foreign terrorist groups,” Rosen remarked, while also expressing gratitude to the Minnesota-based FBI and the Bloomington police.

Christopher Dotson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office, indicated that Mohamud had at one point claimed he was “100 percent committed” to what he referred to as a “planned jihad journey.”

It’s alleged that on Tuesday, Mohamud met with someone he believed to be an ISIS member to try to purchase an AK-47 and ammunition, intending to use it in a crowded public place.

Dotson explained that throughout the investigation, Mohamud had shown continual support for foreign terrorist organizations. Feeling unable to fight abroad, he sought to carry out a terrorist-inspired attack locally in Minnesota.

According to an affidavit connected to the criminal complaint, Mohamud had messaged a contact expressing a desire to attack the mall, stating it was “owned by jewish [sic]” and that if he killed even 30 people, it would deter others from visiting. He expressed a desire to harm Jewish individuals, similarly to attacks that had occurred elsewhere.

As outlined in the affidavit, Mohamud expressed a wish to die as a martyr. He noted that he would prefer to be shot by police rather than imprisoned, fearing that he could be assaulted in jail. He allegedly said, “I wanna get martyred inshallah but if I get sent to jail… I better die in any way other than that.” He further contemplated saving money to travel abroad or acquiring a weapon to “start killing a bunch of white ppl (because a lot of white ppl are kuffar).”

Dotson described Mohamud’s communications as “chilling,” revealing a troubling fascination with ideologically driven violence and a deep-seated animosity towards people of other faiths.

Court documents suggest that Mohamud had pledged allegiance to ISIS over a year ago, with aspirations for personal martyrdom through this planned attack.

Rosen mentioned that the suspect had aimed to kill between 30 and 60 individuals at what is known as the largest mall in the United States.

FBI Director Kash Patel stated, “This FBI is finding terrorists BEFORE they can attack Americans,” emphasizing that they would continue to leverage all available resources to dismantle these networks across the nation.