An 18-year-old Richfield man is facing federal terrorism charges after the FBI says he bought an AK-47-style rifle and 200 rounds of ammunition from an undercover agent in a local park, part of an elaborate sting that federal prosecutors say stopped a planned mass shooting at the Mall of America. Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud was arrested at gunpoint on Tuesday after paying $600 in cash for the inert weapon, according to court filings.
Federal prosecutors in Minnesota charged Mohamud by criminal complaint on Wednesday with one count of knowingly receiving a firearm and ammunition in order to commit a federal crime of terrorism, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. FBI agents arrested him at gunpoint in a Richfield public park, a suburb adjacent to Bloomington, immediately after the sale, as reported by FOX5 Vegas. The rifle was inert before the transaction, authorities said.
A Target Date Tied to a Cultural Festival
Court filings detail that Mohamud had specifically chosen Oct. 24 for the attack because the Mall of America was scheduled to host a Hmong Arts Celebration, an event he expected would draw large crowds of non-Muslims, CBS News reports. Hmong Minnesotans represent one of the state's largest ethnic communities, and the choice of that particular event underscores how deliberately prosecutors say the plot was planned.
According to an FBI affidavit cited by the same report, Mohamud told an informant he wanted to emulate the 2016 Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando and planned a mass shooting at the mall. He explicitly expressed intent to kill between 30 and 60 people, the affidavit states.
A Mistaken Belief and a Foreign Attack as Inspiration
Mohamud also stated in encrypted messages that he targeted the Mall of America under the incorrect belief that it was owned by Jews, attempting to emulate a late-2025 antisemitic mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, according to the FBI affidavit. That belief appears to have shaped his choice of venue.
FBI court affidavits also show Mohamud initially sought to travel to Somalia to join foreign militant groups before redirecting his plot toward the Mall of America or Valleyfair amusement park in Shakopee, after realizing he lacked the funds for international travel.
A Two-Year Investigation and a Family That Wouldn't Talk
The FBI opened its investigation into Mohamud in December 2024, when he was just 16 years old. U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen said agents tried to interview his parents in May 2025 but were rebuffed, a setback that led Rosen to publicly urge parents to heed federal warnings about radicalized minors. The nearly two-year span of the investigation illustrates how long authorities were tracking Mohamud before he moved toward acquiring weapons.
Following the arrest, FBI Director Kash Patel reported that federal law enforcement had prevented more than 1,100 individuals from carrying out attacks nationwide and recorded a 38% increase in foreign terrorist organization disruptions and arrests, a statement released alongside the announcement of charges against Mohamud.
Mall of America Draws 42 Million Visitors Annually
The Mall of America, which sprawls across 5.6 million square feet and draws 42 million visitors annually, has faced public threats before.
