The FBI says it has prevented a potentially lethal attack on the Mall of America, one of the largest and most visited malls in the United States.
FOX 9 reports that Sheikh Abdullahi Mohamud, 18, has been charged at the federal level after allegedly planning a multiple-victual assault in support of the ISIS.
Minnesota's federal prosecutor, Daniel Rosen, said investigators managed to identify and neutralise the threat before the plan was carried out.
According to judicial documents cited by the Associated Press, Mohamud had been under FBI surveillance since December 2024. Initially he had expressed interest in traveling abroad and joining al-Shabab, but later allegedly moved attention to a domestic attack.
The chosen target was good of America.
FOX 9, referring to criminal speculation, reports that the 18-year-old had discussed the possibility of killing 30 to 60 people and had identified October 24th as the possible date of attack, when a Hmong cultural activity was planned at the mall. Authorities also claim he has expressed antisemitic motives for selecting the target.
The investigation entered the final phase when an undercover FBI employee introduced suspects as a supporter of I SIS, organized the sale of a gun.
The Associated Press reports that Mohamud paid $600 for an AK-47 and about 200 rounds. The weapon was pre-functional by authorities, while the ammunition was real. He was arrested shortly after the transaction in a public park in Richter.
“This was a radicalised young man who had to be kept under surveillance”, prosecutor Rosen said, adding that the FBI managed to stop him before carrying out its intention to kill dozens of people.
Christopher Dotson, director of the FBI office in Minneapolis, described the suspect's communications as “terring”, saying they showed readiness for ideologically motivated violence.
Mohamud faces a federal charge of taking up arms and ammunition, knowing or having reason to believe they would be used to commit a federal crime of terrorism. The charges against him are claims and guilt must be proven in court.
