Terror Watch · Plot reported · October 7, 2026, 11:42 AM CDT
In those communications, authorities say Mohamud pledged his support to ISIS and his desire to attack the Mall of America. — FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul; 4 outlets state it
What the sources report
New York Post, October 7, 2026, 12:49 PM CDT: FBI arrest teen in Minnesota for allegedly planning terror attack at Mall of America By Associated Press Published Oct. 7, 2026, 1:49 p.m. ET See more of our coverage in your search results.[3]
WOAI, October 7, 2026, 12:55 PM CDT: FBI arrests Minnesota 18-year-old accused of plotting ISIS-inspired Mall of America attack The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said they stopped an alleged ISIS-inspired plan to attack the Mall of America after an 18-year-old Minnesota man obtained an assault-style rifle and ammunition from an undercover FBI employee.[5]
Do the reports check out?
1 of the 6 claims tested are corroborated by three or more independent outlets; 1 was found in only one of the outlets we read, so we cannot say how widely it is reported; 10 other statements appeared in only one outlet and are not shown. We read the full articles of 12 of the 12 outlets this page counts as reporting the event.
Each claim is a sentence quoted from the opening of a report. We then read every outlet's article and asked, claim by claim, whether it states the same fact, contradicts it or says nothing about it, and kept an outlet only when one of its sentences itself states the fact (shown under each claim). Outlets that print the same wire text word for word are counted as one report, so a wire story carried by three outlets is one confirmation, not three. Those judgments came from Jev (TypeSafe), a classifier that returns probabilities for fixed questions and writes no text; a judgment counted only when Jev was confident and a sentence from the article backed it. The tally says how many outlets report a claim. It does not prove the claim is true.
“In those communications, authorities say Mohamud pledged his support to ISIS and his desire to attack the Mall of America.” — FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul
What each outlet says (closest sentence)
- Fox News: “A Minnesota man who allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS and told an FBI source he planned to open fire on a crowded Mall of America event was arrested after purchasing an AK-47-style rifle, four magazines and 200 rounds of ammunition from an undercover employee, according to a federal criminal complaint unsealed Wedne”
- FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul: “In those communications, authorities say Mohamud pledged his support to ISIS and his desire to attack the Mall of America.”
- 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS: “Federal authorities have arrested a man accused of plotting a terrorist attack at Mall of America and pledging his allegiance to the Islamic State group.”
- InForum: “A young man allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS and planned to attack the Mall of America, the U.S.”
“The teenager had reportedly been under investigation by the FBI for nearly two years and had exchanged messages with a confidential informant during that time.” — AOL.com
What each outlet says (closest sentence)
- WPEC: “Rosen said Mohamud had been under FBI investigation for nearly two years and had exchanged messages with a confidential source.”
- WOAI: “Rosen said Mohamud had been under FBI investigation for nearly two years and had exchanged messages with a confidential source.”
- WGXA: “Rosen said Mohamud had been under FBI investigation for nearly two years and had exchanged messages with a confidential source.”
- KMTR: “Rosen said Mohamud had been under FBI investigation for nearly two years and had exchanged messages with a confidential source.”
- AOL.com: “The teenager had reportedly been under investigation by the FBI for nearly two years and had exchanged messages with a confidential informant during that time.”
“Federal prosecutors say an undercover FBI operation stopped a planned mass shooting at the Mall of America, tied to the terrorist organization ISIS, before it could happen, according to a criminal complaint unsealed this week.” — Valley News Live
What each outlet says (closest sentence)
- Valley News Live: “(Valley News Live) – Federal prosecutors say an undercover FBI operation stopped a planned mass shooting at the Mall of America, tied to the terrorist organization ISIS, before it could happen, according to a criminal complaint unsealed this week.”
- WPEC: “The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said they stopped an alleged ISIS-inspired plan to attack the Mall of America after an 18-year-old Minnesota man obtained an assault-style rifle and ammunition from an undercover FBI employee.”
- WOAI: “The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said they stopped an alleged ISIS-inspired plan to attack the Mall of America after an 18-year-old Minnesota man obtained an assault-style rifle and ammunition from an undercover FBI employee.”
- WGXA: “The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said they stopped an alleged ISIS-inspired plan to attack the Mall of America after an 18-year-old Minnesota man obtained an assault-style rifle and ammunition from an undercover FBI employee.”
- KMTR: “The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said they stopped an alleged ISIS-inspired plan to attack the Mall of America after an 18-year-old Minnesota man obtained an assault-style rifle and ammunition from an undercover FBI employee.”
“In those exchanges, Mohamud allegedly "expressed his desire to travel to Somalia" to join al-Shabaab and "fight on its behalf and/or commit a mass casualty attack" in Minnesota.” — CBS News
What each outlet says (closest sentence)
- CBS News: “In those exchanges, Mohamud allegedly "expressed his desire to travel to Somalia" to join al-Shabaab and "fight on its behalf and/or commit a mass casualty attack" in Minnesota.”
- AOL.com: “The federal complaint alleges Mohamud initially expressed a desire to travel to Somalia to join al-Shabaab and fight on the group's behalf or carry out a mass-casualty attack in Minnesota.”
“The complaint says the FBI contacted Mohamud's parents in May 2025.” — CBS News
What each outlet says (closest sentence)
- CBS News: “The complaint says the FBI contacted Mohamud's parents in May 2025.”
- AOL.com: “The FBI contacted Mohamud's parents in May 2025, according to the complaint.”
“The U.S. Attorney's Office filed criminal charges Wednesday against an 18-year-old man who was allegedly plotting an attack at the Mall of America.” — FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul
What each outlet says (closest sentence)
- FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul: “Attorney's Office filed criminal charges Wednesday against an 18-year-old man who was allegedly plotting an attack at the Mall of America.”
Who is reporting this
At least 11 outlets have reported it. We read 12 of them in full, and those 12 trace back to 9 separate reports; outlets that print the same wire text are counted once. The ones this page draws on are linked here: CBS News, Fox News, New York Post, News Radio 1200 WOAI, WOAI, SSBCrack, Alpha News MN, FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul, Valley News Live, 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, WPEC (republishing WOAI), WGXA (republishing WOAI).
What is not yet known
Anything not stated above by the named outlets or officials has not been confirmed here. Early details often change; this page updates as officials confirm more.
How to Verify This Yourself
Every sentence above is quoted from the linked report and credited to its outlet. Read the originals for full context. Official statements are labeled as official sources.
References
- CBS News. Man eyed Minnesota. (headline as published)
- Fox News. Minnesota man accused of plotting Mall of America attack, pledging allegiance to ISIS: FBI. (headline as published)
- New York Post. FBI arrest teen in Minnesota for allegedly planning terror attack at Mall of America. (headline as published)
- News Radio 1200 WOAI. Planned Terror Attack On The Mall Of America Thwarted By FBI. (headline as published)
- WOAI. FBI arrests Minnesota 18-year-old accused of plotting ISIS-inspired Mall of America attack. (headline as published)
- SSBCrack. Federal authorities arrest man plotting terrorist attack at Mall of America, pledging allegiance to ISIS – SSBCrack News. (headline as published)
- Alpha News MN. Sheikhdoon Mohamud charged with plotting mass casualty attack at Mall of America in support of ISIS. (headline as published)
- FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul. Feds charge man accused of plotting terror attack at Mall of America: Watch live. (headline as published)
- Valley News Live. FBI: Man arrested in foiled mass shooting plot at Mall of America. (headline as published)
- 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS. FBI arrests man who planned to shoot up Mall of America in support of Islamic State group. (headline as published)
- WPEC. FBI arrests Minnesota 18-year-old accused of plotting ISIS-inspired Mall of America attack. (headline as published)
- WGXA. FBI arrests Minnesota 18-year-old accused of plotting ISIS-inspired Mall of America attack. (headline as published)
Terror Watch is produced by an automated monitor (scripts/terror_watch.py) that uses fixed rules and no language model. It posts only after two independent outlets or one official source report an event, quotes verbatim, omits suspect-identity details unless officials state them, and omits graphic detail.
Kemetic Minds Editorial Desk
Verified NewsroomPrimary-sourced investigative intelligence on civil rights, voting rights, federal policy, and consumer protection. Sourced from primary legal filings, government statistics, and direct field reporting.