Minnesota teen detained after FBI sting reveals plan to attack Mall of America

Federal authorities arrested 18-year-old Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud in Richfield after he paid $600 for an AK-47, 200 rounds of ammo and magazines from an undercover FBI employee masquerading as an ISIS operative. The teen had been on the FBI’s radar since December 2024, communicating with a confidential informant about terrorist ambitions. He told agents he planned to attack the Mall of America on Oct. 24, targeting a Hmong community arts event, and expressed a desire to become a martyr for ISIS.

At a hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Bejar described Mohamud as fully committed to the crime, while FBI Special Agent Keegan Rupenthal testified that the teen pledged allegiance to the group’s leader. Magistrate Judge Dulce Foster ordered Mohamud to remain jailed, rejecting his attorney Manny Atwal’s request for a GPS-monitored halfway house. The case adds to ongoing debate over FBI sting operations and potential entrapment claims.