Fox News
· collected 2026-10-08 · by Paul Steinhauser, Peter D'Abrosca, Andrew Miller
Republican Senate candidate Michele Tafoya has highlighted an FBI operation that thwarted a terror plot against the Mall of America, where an 18-year-old man pledged allegiance to ISIS and discussed plans to attack non-Muslims. The arrest occurred after nearly two years of investigation when he bought weapons from an undercover agent. Tafoya used the incident in her campaign to argue for stricter law enforcement, contrasting it with what she called "chaos" under current leadership. Democratic opponent Peggy Flanagan also expressed relief but did not directly respond to Tafoya's comments at the time of reporting.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-08,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On October 7, 2026, FBI arrested Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud, an 18-year-old from Minnesota, who allegedly planned to carry out a mass shooting at the Mall of America. Undercover agents had been monitoring Mohamud for nearly two years and supplied him with an AK-47 rifle and 200 rounds of ammunition, leading to his arrest in Richfield on October 6 when he attempted to purchase these items from an undercover employee posing as a member of ISIS.
Mohamud is charged with knowingly receiving a firearm and ammunition while knowing or having reasonable cause to believe they would be used for terrorism. He communicated his intent to kill non-Muslims, including plans to attack the mall during a Hmong arts celebration on October 24. US Attorney Daniel Rosen emphasized that this was a significant counterterrorism action, noting Mohamud had been radicalized and posed a serious threat.
The arrest highlights ongoing concerns about homegrown terrorism in Minnesota and underscores the need for continued investment in anti-terrorism measures by local law enforcement agencies. Senator Amy Klobuchar praised the FBI's work while calling for further coordinated efforts to prevent such threats from materializing.
Written for “Mall of America Terror Plot Foiled” on 2026-10-08,
grounded in this article and the 10 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it +0.65, but 2 quote(s) could not be found in the article and the other 1 are attributed speech rather than the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 64495: no verified evidence · logged 2026-10-08
Republican Senate nominee Michele Tafoya says people in her home state of Minnesota "feel under a level of threat" after the FBI arrested an 18-year-old who allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS and discussed carrying out a mass shooting at the Mall of America.
uncertain
who → say → America
Tafoya, who is aiming to flip a Democrat-controlled open Senate seat as she faces off against Democratic Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan in the midterm elections, praised authorities in an X post, writing, "Thank you to @FBIMinneapolis and law enforcement for stopping a potential mass-casualty attack."
But she also pointed to the midterms as she argued, "This November, the choice is clear: law and order or more of the same.
asserted
choice → aim → same
Authorities said Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud had been under investigation for nearly two years before he was arrested on the spot after buying an AK-47-style rifle, magazines and ammunition from an undercover FBI employee.
asserted
he → say → employee
"This was a radicalized young man who needed to be watched," U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen said Wednesday at a news conference.
asserted
Rosen → need → conference
Rosen added that agents "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."
asserted
defendant → add → people
Mohamud, according to an FBI agent's sworn complaint, repeatedly affirmed in chat messages to the informant that he intended to attack and kill non-Muslims at the mall on Oct. 24, the date of a scheduled Hmong arts celebration.
uncertain
he → accord → celebration
Tafoya, in a Fox News Digital interview, said, "I hear a lot of concerns from Minnesotans on the campaign trail about crime, and no matter what form that crime takes, Minnesotans know that they feel under a level of threat that has increased lately here in Minnesota."
asserted
that → say → Minnesota
"And in the last week and just today, we saw the arrest of an 18-year-old... American citizen to Somali parents arrested for... planning a terrorist attack — at the Mall of America," Tafoya said, as she referred not only to the thwarting of the terror plot, but also a recent spate of gang gun violence tied to what some in local law enforcement say are members of "the Somali American community."
asserted
some → see → community
"He basically stated that he wanted to take out anyone who was not a Muslim.
asserted
who → state → anyone
He also noted that the Mall of America is owned by people who are Jewish," Tafoya added.
asserted
Tafoya → note → people
"Again, he is of Somalian descent and terror is alive and well and thank God we averted this massive crisis."
asserted
we → thank → crisis
Flanagan, in a statement on X, wrote, "I’m relieved that a horrific attack on Minnesota was prevented and grateful for the actions of law enforcement."
asserted
attack → write → enforcement
Fox News Digital reached out to Flanagan's campaign for more reaction to the terror plot arrest and to Tafoya's comments, but didn't receive a response at the time this article was published.
asserted
article → reach → time
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, wrote in a statement, "I'm grateful for the heroic work of law enforcement that prevented a mass shooting and terrorist attack at the Mall of America.
asserted
that → write → America
This shows why we continue to need major coordinated investments in anti-terrorism and local law enforcement to stop attacks like these."
asserted
we → show → these
Klobuchar, who is running to succeed retiring Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, emphasized, "Our state must take terrorism and violent crime head on, working with our federal law enforcement and local police departments to keep Minnesotans safe."
asserted
state → run → Minnesotans
Her Republican rival in the gubernatorial showdown, House Speaker Lisa Demuth, also praised authorities.
asserted
rival → praise → authorities
I’m grateful for the work of federal and local law enforcement that stopped this potentially catastrophic ISIS-inspired terrorist plot.
asserted
that → ’m → plot
It’s frightening to know that a young person could be led down this path," Demuth wrote on X. "It’s fortunate that we have law enforcement officials and members of the U.S. Attorney’s Office that were able to do the work necessary to prevent a terrible act of mass violence from taking place in our community."
uncertain
that → ’ → community
The Aporia
