FBI arrests 18 year old man of Somali descent for plot to attack the Mall of America.

 

File photo of the Mall of America. AP.

The FBI has arrested an 18 year old man of Somali descent for a plot to attack the Mall of America. AP. Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud was arrested after purchasing an AK style rifle and 200 rounds of ammo from a federal agent. Mohamud had expressed interest in returning to Somali to fight for al-Shabaab but was unable to afford travel expenses. Instead, he devised a plot to attack the Mall of America and wanted to kill between 30 and 60 people. Mohamud is a descendent of Somali immigrants and is an US citizen. Tens of thousands of people of Somali descent have moved to Minnesota and many of them have been charged for supporting or committing terrorism. 

My Comment:

It's still crazy that so many of these would-be terrorists fall for these FBI stings. You would think it's obvious that the guy that wants to sell you a rifle so you can commit a major terror attack is probably a fed, but apparently it is not. Again, I am thankful terrorists are so stupid. 

That doesn't mean this man wasn't dangerous. Had he simply gotten a low paying job in a few months he would have enough money to buy actual weapons and could have pulled off an attack. Hell, Somali Americans are capable of getting all kinds of government aid and he could have even used that to fund an attack. That this didn't happen is lucky. 

Would an attack have gotten the 30 to 60 casualties with what he had? Probably not. 200 rounds is not much and it didn't seem like he had any training or experience with weapons. And the Mall of America? It's kind of a hard target. It has a large security force and a permanent police presence and I am guessing that he probably would have gotten one magazine off before he was killed. That still could have resulted in multiple casualties, but, regardless, his plan was not a good one. 

What is concerning is that this is not the first time someone of Somali descent has attempted a plot like this. Indeed, it's fairly common. Islamic radicalization is very common in Somalia and it stands to reason that it would disappear once the people came to the United States. And this incident fits the patter where a 2nd generation person ends up radicalized.  

It does seem like bringing in all these Somalians has backfired rather badly for Minnesota especially. They have a huge fraud problem there, largely due to the Somali community and the people that empower them and there is also the terrorism threat. I do expect both of those problems to continue in the future...