FBI stops ISIS-inspired Mall of America shooting plot

Federal investigators in Minnesota thwarted an 18-year-old from carrying out an Islamic State group-inspired shooting inside the largest mall in America, U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen reported on Wednesday. Officials arrested Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud on Tuesday for allegedly planning to carry out a mass-casualty attack later this month inside the Mall of America, Rosen told reporters.

Prosecutors filed terror charges against Mohamud on Wednesday morning for acquiring an AK-47 rifle and 200 rounds of ammunition to carry out the alleged plot, Rosen said. The suspect stated a desire to slaughter between 30 and 60 innocent Americans inside the mall, FBI Director Kash Patel wrote in a Wednesday statement. The FBI doesn’t wait for terrorists to attack; agents put them in handcuffs long before that can happen, he added.

All suspects are given the presumption of innocence until the charges are proven in a court of law.

How was the plot uncovered? Rosen credited the vigilance and diligence of police and intelligence officials, who detected and disrupted the threat. FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dotson appeared alongside Rosen on Wednesday and pointed to evidence of Mohamud stating his 100% commitment to carrying out jihad. The 18-year-old met with an individual, whom he believed to be a loyal member of the Islamic State group, to buy the rifle, Dotson said. The suspect also purchased about 200 live rounds for the attack, which he planned to carry out in a high-traffic area a few weeks after the sale, he continued.

Mohamud repeatedly voiced support for foreign terror groups throughout the investigation, and stated his desire to carry out terror in the United States because he couldn't travel abroad to join the groups, Dotson said. The special agent described Mohamud’s messages as chilling, with a callous disregard for human life and a blind hatred of other faiths. Court documents showed Mohamud claimed to have joined the Islamic State group over a year ago and sought to become a martyr by murdering innocent civilians, Dotson said. Mohamud now faced federal terror charges, including attempting to provide material aid to a foreign terror group, prosecutors said.