An 18-year-old in Minnesota has been charged for allegedly “planning a mass casualty attack in support of ISIS,” according U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Dan Rosen on Wednesday afternoon.
Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud was allegedly planning to conduct a shooting “later this month” at the Mall of America “in order to commit a federal crime of terrorism, including attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.”
🚨 U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Dan Rosen says the FBI has arrested and charged 18-year-old Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud for planning a mass casualty attack in support of ISIS at the Mall of America https://t.co/MyMZa6NMCo
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 7, 2026
Rosen said that the suspect had obtained an AK-47 and “200 rounds of ammunition.”
“They were able to detect the threat, and disrupt it, before the defendant carried out his intention to kill, in his words ‘maybe 30 to 60 people,’” Rosen said.
“Mohamud allegedly sent messages pledging his support to ISIS and propaganda videos to a confidential source,” Attorney General Todd Blanche posted to X.
“These threats are taken extremely seriously and we’re grateful this attack was stopped in its tracks by federal law enforcement who work every day to keep our country safe,” he added.
FBI Director Kash Patel thanked the Minneapolis division for their “outstanding work” in taking the man into custody.
“This FBI is finding terrorists BEFORE they can attack Americans — and we will keep using every resource we have to dismantle their networks across this country,” Patel said.
🚨 ANOTHER ISIS-INSPIRED MASS CASUALTY PLOT STOPPED. Today the FBI arrested an individual who allegedly obtained a weapon to carry out an attack in support of ISIS. This FBI is finding terrorists BEFORE they can attack Americans — and we will keep using every resource we have to dismantle their networks across this country. Outstanding work by @FBIMinneapolis. They likely saved lives.
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) October 7, 2026
Both the suspect and his parents are American citizens who were originally Somali nationals, as his mother became a citizen in 2010 and his father in 2017, according to Fox News – and Townhall was able to independently confirm through law enforcement sources.
NEW: I'm told by federal sources that the parents of the 18-year-old man arrested by the FBI for allegedly plotting an ISIS inspired mass shooting at Minnesota’s Mall of America are both Somali nationals who first flew into New York in 2000 and were later naturalized into U.S. citizens. Mom in 2010, dad in 2017. It's unclear how they initially came in (visa, refugee, etc). The suspect, Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud, was born in the US in 2008 before his parents were naturalized, and he received his US citizenship as a result of birthright citizenship. DOJ says Mohamud's parents refused to speak with the FBI when they tried to make contact with the family last year when there were initial indications of potential radicalization.
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) October 7, 2026
"This is just another example of a large rise in Islamic extremism, which is disrupting our country's values and way of life. This kind of religious extremism and terrorism will NEVER be accepted in the United States of America," House Majority Whip Tom Emmer posted to X.
Thank you to all of the brave men and women of the @FBIMinneapolis and local police for STOPPING an ISIS terrorist plot in Minnesota. Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud, who is a U.S. citizen of Somali descent, has been federally charged and will be brought to justice swiftly and effectively. This is just another example of a large rise in Islamic extremism, which is disrupting our country's values and way of life. This kind of religious extremism and terrorism will NEVER be accepted in the United States of America.
— Tom Emmer (@GOPMajorityWhip) October 7, 2026
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