GOP Senate Hopeful Tafoya Says Minnesota Voters Feel Under Threat After Mall of America Plot Foiled

Republican Senate nominee Michele Tafoya said Minnesota voters are increasingly worried about crime and public safety after federal authorities arrested an 18-year-old accused of plotting an ISIS-inspired mass shooting at the Mall of America, a case that has quickly become a flashpoint in the state's midterm campaigns.

Authorities said Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud had been under investigation for nearly two years before he was arrested after buying an AK-47-style rifle, magazines and ammunition from an undercover FBI employee. U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen said at a news conference that the young man was radicalized and needed to be watched, and that agents were able to detect and disrupt the threat before he could carry out his intention to kill what he described as perhaps 30 to 60 people.

According to an FBI agent's sworn complaint, Mohamud repeatedly affirmed in chat messages to an informant that he intended to attack and kill non-Muslims at the mall on Oct. 24, the date of a scheduled Hmong arts celebration. The Hmong are an ethnic group from East and Southeast Asia with a large community in Minnesota.

Tafoya, who is seeking to flip a Democrat-controlled open Senate seat and faces Democratic Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan in the midterms, praised federal and local law enforcement in a post on X, thanking the FBI's Minneapolis office and other authorities for stopping what she called a potential mass-casualty attack. She also tied the case to the coming election, arguing that the choice in November is between law and order and more of the same, and between common sense and chaos.

In an interview, Tafoya said she hears a lot of concerns from Minnesotans on the campaign trail about crime, and that no matter what form that crime takes, residents feel under a level of threat that has increased lately in the state. She referred not only to the thwarted terror plot but also to a recent spate of gang gun violence tied to what some in local law enforcement say are members of the Somali American community. Tafoya added that the suspect had stated he wanted to target anyone who was not Muslim and had noted that the Mall of America is owned by people who are Jewish, and she said terror remains a live threat.

Flanagan said in a statement on X that she was relieved a horrific attack on Minnesota was prevented and grateful for the actions of law enforcement. A request for additional reaction from her campaign did not receive an immediate response.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, said she was grateful for the heroic work of law enforcement that prevented a mass shooting and terrorist attack at the Mall of America. She said the case shows why major coordinated investments in anti-terrorism and local law enforcement are needed to stop such attacks, and that the state must take terrorism and violent crime head on by working with federal law enforcement and local police departments to keep Minnesotans safe.

Her Republican rival in the governor's race, House Speaker Lisa Demuth, also praised authorities, saying she was grateful for the work of federal and local law enforcement that stopped what she called a potentially catastrophic ISIS-inspired terrorist plot. Demuth said it was frightening to know that a young person could be led down this path, and that it was fortunate that law enforcement officials and members of the U.S. Attorney's Office were able to do the work necessary to prevent a terrible act of mass violence in the community.

The arrest has injected public safety and national security into races up and down the ballot in Minnesota, where candidates in both parties are competing to show they can keep residents safe. The case is also likely to keep attention on the Mall of America, a major retail and entertainment destination in the Twin Cities, and on the broader debate over domestic terrorism and violent crime as the midterms approach.

8Views

Author

Delaney Sawyer

Society Reporter

Delaney Sawyer covers public affairs, politics, business, culture and daily news for Core Memo. The role focuses on verification, context, and clear explanations for readers.

All articles by this author