Man arrested over alleged ISIS-inspired plot to attack Mall of America

Federal authorities have arrested a man accused of planning an ISIS-inspired mass shooting at the Mall of America in Minnesota, ABC News reports, citing newly unsealed court records. Sheikhdoon Mohamud was taken into custody on Tuesday after allegedly purchasing an AK-47 and 200 rounds of ammunition from a confidential FBI source. Prosecutors say he planned to attack the Hmong Arts Celebration at the mall on Oct. 24.

U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Dan Rosen said investigators were able “to detect the threat and disrupt it before the defendant carried out his intention to kill.” FBI special agent Christopher Dodson said, “The messages this defendant allegedly sent to others were chilling.”

Mohamud has been under investigation since December 2024, when a confidential source began exchanging messages with him, records show. Rosen said Mohamud is believed to be an American citizen born in the US. FBI agents visited his home in 2025, Rosen noted, to speak to his parents but were rebuffed.