Man eyed Minnesota’s Mall of America for attack, pledging allegiance to ISIS, federal prosecutors say

Updated on: October 7, 2026 / 11:43 AM CDT / CBS Minnesota

A man accused of telling an FBI informant he wanted to attack the Mall of America during the Hmong Arts Celebration on Oct. 24 was arrested at gunpoint Tuesday during an arranged meeting to buy an AK-47-style rifle for $600, according to a federal criminal complaint filed Wednesday in St. Paul.

In the complaint, authorities say a "confidential human source" exchanged "hundreds of bi-directional messages through multiple social media and encrypted messaging applications" with Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud from December 2024 until Tuesday. In those exchanges, Mohamud allegedly "expressed his desire to travel to Somalia" to join al-Shabaab and "fight on its behalf and/or commit a mass casualty attack" in Minnesota.

The complaint says the FBI contacted Mohamud's parents in May 2025. His father allegedly said "he did not want to share any information pertaining to himself or his son" with agents and directed them to his attorney.

In July, Mohamud told an informant he didn't have enough money to go to Somalia, according to the complaint. He allegedly said he would attack in the United States instead, and that if he did, he wasn't doing it "for any…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/