ISIS terrorist planned Bondi Beach-style massacre at Mall of America because of Jewish ownership

FBI thwarted shooting attack in Minnesota by Muslim terrorist who believed Mall of America is Jewish-owned.

By World Israel News Staff

An 18-year-old Minnesota man accused of plotting an ISIS-inspired massacre at the Mall of America allegedly selected the shopping center because he believed it was Jewish-owned, expressing a desire to murder as many as 60 people in an attack modeled on the antisemitic terrorist massacre at Sydney’s Bondi Beach.

Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud, a US citizen from Richfield, Minnesota, was arrested Tuesday after purchasing an AK-47-style rifle and approximately 200 rounds of ammunition from an undercover FBI agent he believed was affiliated with ISIS.

Federal prosecutors announced Wednesday that Mohamud had been charged with knowingly receiving a firearm and ammunition intended for use in a federal crime of terrorism.

According to a criminal complaint filed in federal court, Mohamud had spent months communicating with an FBI informant about his plans to carry out a mass-casualty attack, ultimately identifying October 24 as his intended date.

In July, Mohamud allegedly explained his decision to target the Mall of America, writing that it was “because its owned by jewish.”

He said he believed killing 30 people would discourage shoppers from returning to the mall, adding, “I want to harm the jew.”

The suspect specifically cited the December 2025 Bondi Beach terrorist attack in Australia, in which gunmen targeted a Jewish Hanukkah celebration, as an inspiration for his planned massacre.

Mohamud also discussed killing between 30 and 60 people and said he preferred using an assault rifle because constructing a bomb would be too complicated.

His plans became increasingly detailed in September, when he identified a Hmong Arts Celebration scheduled at the Mall of America for October 24 as an opportunity to attack a large gathering.

“I can’t wait until I kill kuffar man,” he allegedly wrote, using an Arabic term referring to non-Muslims.

The criminal complaint describes an investigation that began in December 2024, during which Mohamud exchanged hundreds of messages with an FBI confidential source through Telegram, Signal, Discord and TikTok.

Investigators say Mohamud initially wanted to travel to Somalia to join a terrorist organization, including al-Shabaab, but eventually decided to carry out an attack in the United States after concluding that he lacked the money to travel overseas.

He subsequently pledged allegiance to ISIS in a video sent to the informant and discussed recruiting other supporters to participate in the planned shooting.

The suspect also expressed admiration for previous ISIS-inspired attacks, including the 2016 Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando and the 2025 New Year’s Day vehicle-ramming attack in New Orleans.

According to investigators, Mohamud studied footage of the Orlando massacre and discussed carrying out a similar shooting at the Minnesota shopping center.

By late September, he had arranged to purchase a rifle, magazines and ammunition for approximately $600.

On October 6, Mohamud met an undercover FBI employee in Richfield and purchased an AK-47 rifle, four 30-round magazines and approximately 200 rounds of ammunition. The FBI had rendered the rifle inoperable before the transaction.

Authorities arrested him shortly afterward.

During the purchase, Mohamud allegedly reaffirmed his intention to use the weapons to attack shoppers at the Mall of America.

“This individual allegedly obtained a weapon he hoped to use in a mass casualty attack in support of ISIS,” FBI Director Kash Patel said, praising the agents who prevented the planned shooting.

US Attorney Daniel Rosen said the investigation demonstrated the importance of identifying radicalized individuals before they could carry out attacks.

“They were able to detect a threat and disrupt it before the defendant carried out his intention to kill, in his words, maybe 30 to 60 people,” Rosen said.

Investigators revealed that agents had attempted to warn Mohamud’s parents about his radicalization in May 2025 but said the parents had rebuffed their efforts.

Mohamud, who was born in the United States to Somali parents, appeared before US Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright on Wednesday and was ordered temporarily detained.

He is scheduled to return to federal court on October 19 for a preliminary and detention hearing.

The Mall of America said it maintains extensive security measures and continues to coordinate with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

The allegations against Mohamud have not yet been proven in court, and he is presumed innocent unless convicted.

ISISIslamic terrorMinnesotaShooting attackshopping malls