FBI says it thwarted an attack on the Mall of America by a teen it supplied with an assault rifle

In text messages with the informant, Mohamud repeatedly affirmed his intent to carry out an attack to kill non-Muslims at the mall on Oct. 24, the date of a scheduled Hmong arts celebration, the complaint said.

It was not immediately known if the teen had an attorney who might speak on his behalf. The Associated Press could not immediately identify any of his family members to contact for comment.

Rosen said Mohamud is an American-born U.S. citizen of Somali descent. According to the complaint, in his text messages he expressed admiration for recent terror attacks as well as an interest in traveling to Somalia to join ISIS. Ultimately he decided he couldn’t afford to travel there and would attack the mall instead, it said.

The teen first came to the FBI’s attention in December 2024, the same month the source began exchanging messages with him, the complaint said. By May 2025, agents were concerned enough that they went to his home. His mother told them he wasn’t home from school yet and called the boy’s father, who declined to speak with them and said he would give their contact information to his lawyer, the complaint said.

“What I would say to parents all over Minnesota, and all over America: If you get any indication — especially 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,” Rosen said.

Tens of thousands of people of Somali descent live in Minnesota, dating back to when refugees began arriving in the 1990s. Over the years several have been charged with attempting to join ISIS or other terror groups.

Ellen Schmidt And Gene Johnson, The Associated Press

by The Canadian Press

FBI says it thwarted an attack on the Mall of America by a teen it supplied with an assault rifle

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