FBI arrests 18-year-old accused of plotting ISIS-inspired attack at Mall of America

The FBI said Wednesday it had stopped a planned terrorist attack at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, by arresting an 18-year-old man who allegedly bought an assault rifle from undercover agents. The suspect was identified across outlets as Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud. He was arrested Tuesday in a public park, according to The Guardian, after paying $600 to an undercover FBI employee posing as a member of the Islamic State group for an AK-47 and 200 rounds of ammunition, multiple outlets reported.

According to the criminal complaint cited by The Guardian and other outlets, Mohamud was charged with one count of obtaining a firearm to carry out an act of terrorism. The FBI had investigated him for nearly two years, according to The Guardian and Fortune. The Washington Times reported, citing federal officials, that Mohamud had said he wanted to "start killing a bunch of white people," while TheBlaze and the Washington Examiner reported he intended to target the mall during an Oct. 24 Hmong arts celebration. The Jerusalem Post reported, citing an undercover informant, that Mohamud said he planned to kill 30 to 60 people at an event at the mall in late October.

TheBlaze reported that the FBI rendered the AK-47 inert before the sale, and that during the transaction Mohamud reaffirmed his plan to use the weapon to shoot people at the mall, according to the Department of Justice. TheBlaze also quoted U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen as saying Mohamud was "a radicalized young man who needed to be watched." An FBI official was quoted by Arab News saying, "This individual allegedly obtained a weapon he hoped to use in a mass casualty attack in support of Daesh, but this FBI arrested him and put a stop to his plans."

Several outlets described Mohamud's background differently: the Washington Examiner and The Western Journal identified him as a U.S. citizen of Somali descent, while Hot Air's headline called him a "Somali terrorist" and The Daily Wire referred to him as a "Somali Man." The Los Angeles Times, in one headline, referred to him as a "man" rather than a "teen," a distinction several other outlets across the spectrum used interchangeably given his age of 18.

Minnesota political figures responded to the arrest. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the Democratic nominee for Minnesota governor, praised law enforcement and called for increased anti-terrorism investments, according to the New York Post. GOP Senate hopeful Michele Tafoya said Minnesotans "feel under a level of threat," as reported by Fox News.

How the coverage differed

Left-leaning outlets, including NBC News, the Associated Press, PBS NewsHour and The New York Times, largely used headlines emphasizing the FBI's role in stopping the attack and its method of selling the suspect the weapon. The Guardian and The Washington Post provided detailed accounts of the criminal complaint, including the $600 payment and the nearly two-year investigation, but these outlets did not report the suspect's ethnicity or alleged statements about targeting non-Muslims or white people.

Right-leaning outlets gave the story substantially more volume, with at least 14 outlets covering it, compared to roughly eight each on the left and center. Right-leaning coverage more frequently included the suspect's Somali background (Hot Air, The Western Journal, Washington Examiner, The Daily Wire), his alleged intent to target non-Muslims (The Washington Times, TheBlaze), and reaction from Republican political figures (Fox News). Center outlets, such as Reuters, The Straits Times and UPI, used more procedural, less detailed headlines focused on the charges and arrest, with some, like The Hill, citing an FBI source regarding Mohamud's stated intent to kill non-Muslims.

Outlets also differed on how they characterized the weapon: most referred to an AK-47 or assault rifle, while a few, including the AP, PBS NewsHour and the Los Angeles Times headline, used the broader term "assault rifle" without specifying the model.

What is still unclear

The sources do not clarify whether Mohamud has entered a plea or retained legal representation. It also remains unclear what specific evidence, beyond the alleged purchase and messages with an informant, supports the claim that he intended to kill 30 to 60 people, a figure reported by only The Jerusalem Post.