Federal prosecutors in Minnesota charge man with terrorism after they say he planned to target the Mall of America

(CNN) — Federal officials in Minnesota have charged a man with a federal terrorism charge after they say he planned a shooting at the Mall of America using an AK-47 rifle and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, according to court records unsealed Wednesday.

FBI investigators determined Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud, 18, planned to attack the mall in Bloomington, and appeared to admire other terrorist-related mass casualty events, such as the Bondi Beach shooting in Australia and the New Orleans attack in January 2025, according to a federal complaint.

Mohamud was arrested Tuesday and charged with planning a mass casualty attack in support of ISIS later this month, officials said in a Wednesday news conference, adding he had wanted to kill as many as 60 people.

“Today’s charges demonstrate that the threat of terrorism in support of ISIS and other foreign terrorist organizations is active and continuing,” said Minnesota US attorney Daniel Rosen.

CNN is trying to determine if Mohamud has representation.

According to the complaint, Mohamud knowingly received a firearm and ammunition, including a Norinco AK-47 assault rifle and approximately 200 live rounds of ammunition, to commit a felony and a federal crime of terrorism.

In a 23-page affidavit, an FBI agent alleged the investigation into Mohamud started in December 2024. Over the last 21 months, Mohamud and an undercover source exchanged messages through social media and encrypted messaging applications where Mohamud expressed his desire to travel to Somalia to either join a foreign terrorist organization and fight on its behalf or commit a mass shooting in Minnesota on behalf of a terrorist group.

Rosen said federal agents’ attempts to speak with Mohamud’s parents about his radicalization in 2025 were rebuffed.

“I just want to say to parents all over Minnesota – for that matter all over America – if you hear from federal law enforcement that your son or daughter is being radicalized to the point where federal law enforcement wants to come and give you that warning, those are warnings that ought to be heeded,” he said.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.