A southern Minnesota man, 24-year-old Mohamed Adan Mohamed of St. Peter, is facing felony charges after authorities linked him to a suspected plan for a potential mass casualty event. His arrest followed a shoplifting incident at the Scheels store in Mankato, where he allegedly stole over $2,150 in items including 9mm magazines, bear spray, and body armor.
According to the criminal complaint, store employees became alarmed when Mohamed, wearing a mask, gloves, and winter gear, began grabbing high-value survival gear without checking prices. He reportedly told staff he had an “AR-style rifle calibrated to 9mm” before fleeing the store.
Store security attempted to detain him, but Mohamed escaped in a Toyota Sienna, nearly hitting a bystander. Left behind at the scene was a handwritten “Survival Gear List,” which included tactical items such as knives, sleeping bags, and a chest rig with eight magazines—the same number he is accused of stealing.
The responding officer recognized Mohamed from a recent investigation involving social media posts in which he brandished what appeared to be an assault rifle and made inflammatory political statements, including hashtags like “#deathtoamerikkan&israelliImperialism.”
Police executed a search warrant at Mohamed’s residence and recovered firearms, including the weapon seen online. He was arrested without incident and booked into Blue Earth County Jail.
Following the arrest, an extreme risk protection order was granted, allowing law enforcement to seize additional weapons, including an AR-style rifle and two 3D-printed handguns. A judge later ruled that Mohamed cannot possess firearms for one year, citing him as a danger to the public. His bail was set at $500,000.
Mohamed’s neighbor and former classmate, Dunia, described him as a kind person who has shown signs of mental health struggles. “He’s a really good guy. It’s just, he’s not mentally, physically there right now,” she said.
Mohamed is scheduled to appear in court again in May. He remains in custody as authorities continue investigating the broader implications of the case.
