FBI Thwarts ISIS Plot to Attack America's Largest Mall

Court documents revealed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested an 18-year-old who was planning to carry out a mass shooting at the Mall of America near Minneapolis in the name of ISIS.

He was arrested on Tuesday after an undercover FBI agent sold him a rifle, ammunition, and magazines for $600, according to the documents. The suspect is Sheikhdon Abdullah Mohamed from Minnesota.

Mohamed told the agent he planned to use these weapons to kill between 30 and 60 people during an event held at the mall in late October.

Mohamed has been charged with one count of knowingly possessing a firearm and ammunition with the intent to commit a terrorist act. His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

According to the documents, Mohamed told an FBI source via various social media platforms that he intended to travel abroad to fight under the banner of Al-Shabaab, designated as a foreign terrorist organization. He confirmed that if he could not travel, he planned to carry out a mass shooting. He later expressed his desire to join ISIS.

Last July, Mohamed said he wanted to kill between 30 and 60 people at the Mall of America because he claimed its owners were Jewish, and he wanted to kill non-Muslims. He told the agent he planned to launch an attack on October 24 during the Hmong Arts Festival being held at the mall that day.

The Mall of America is the largest shopping center in the United States, featuring an amusement park, a large aquarium, and more than 500 stores.

Mohamed appeared for the first time before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth C. Wright on Wednesday.