Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud was arrested Tuesday in Richfield, Minnesota, after allegedly trying to buy a $600 AK-47-style rifle for an attack on the Mall of America. A federal criminal complaint filed Wednesday says the 18-year-old was taken into custody at gunpoint after leaving an undercover employee's vehicle with the rifle, four magazines and about 200 live rounds of 7.62x39-caliber ammunition.
Richfield arrest
The complaint identifies the weapon as a Norinco AK-47 assault rifle, model Mac-90 Sporter. Authorities allege Mohamud knowingly received a firearm and ammunition knowing or having reasonable cause to believe they would be used to commit a felony and a federal crime of terrorism.
For people who work at or visit the Mall of America, the immediate significance is that investigators say the alleged attack plan had moved beyond online talk. The arrest came during an arranged meeting, and the complaint says the communications stretched from December 2024 until Tuesday.
Mohamud messages
The complaint says a confidential human source exchanged hundreds of bi-directional messages with Mohamud over that period. In July, Mohamud allegedly said he did not have enough money to travel to Somalia, then said he would attack in the United States instead and said it would be for the sake of Allah only.
Mohamud also allegedly discussed attacking the Mall of America in Bloomington or Valleyfair in Shakopee around Christmas. He allegedly told the source he wanted to attack the Mall of America because it is owned by Jewish.
Discord and Oct. 24
Last month, Mohamud allegedly posted a video on Discord in which he pledged allegiance to ISIS. The complaint also says he told the source he wanted to carry out an attack at the Mall of America during the Hmong Arts Celebration on Oct. 24 and wrote that it will be a lot of people.
He allegedly said he had been watching video of the 2016 attack at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, and thought he could do the same. In another message, he allegedly wrote, I just walk in and shoot.
Daniel Rosen and Christopher Dotson were scheduled to hold a news conference at noon Wednesday. The complaint does not say what charges will ultimately follow, but it places the focus on what prosecutors allege was a planned attack that had already advanced to a weapons pickup in Richfield.
