Shoplifter’s arrest foils potential “mass casualty event”, charges say

By Cole Premo, Adam Duxter

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    Minnesota (WCCO) — Authorities say they believe a southern Minnesota man accused of theft and online threats may have been planning a “mass casualty event.”

Mohamed Adan Mohamed, 24, of St. Peter, faces felony charges of theft and threats of violence following his arrest after a shoplifting incident last week.

According to the criminal complaint, Mankato Department of Public Safety officers were dispatched to a city business shortly before 3 p.m. Thursday to investigate a suspicious person.

Employees told police that a man wearing a medical mask, gloves, a heavy winter jacket and a green stalking cap — later identified as Mohamed — entered the store and began selecting several 9mm firearm magazines, bear spray and body armor. Employees say they became suspicious when he began grabbing high-priced merchandise without looking at the price, the complaint said.

Mohamed allegedly told people on the sales floor that he had an “AR style rifle that was calibrated to 9mm” before fleeing the store with over $2,150 worth of items.

Security at the store attempted a “citizen’s arrest” on Mohamed, but he got into a Toyota Sienna and fled, nearly running over a person in the process, according to the complaint.

Mohamed left a list at the store, which he was looking at while taking items, that said “Survival Gear List with Alternative” at the top, the complaint said. The list included knives, bows and arrows, a sleeping bag, lighters, pepper spray, a “6-mag chest right” and eight magazines. Authorities say Mohamed stole eight magazines.

Police spoke to Mohamed about recent social media posts

An investigating officer, noting the listed items, recalled that he had been on a call for service within the week prior due to Mohamed “making several media posts showing firearms and ammunition and one post showing himself pointing an apparent assault rifle at the camera,” the complaint said. The hashtag for the social media post was “#deathtoamerikkan&israelliImperialism.”

St. Peter police told WCCO that officers spoke with Mohamed and found no need for an arrest at that time.

The officer investigating the shoplifting incident also learned that Mohamed had access to a 2001 Toyota Sienna that was registered to a person who lived with Mohamed in St. Peter.

St. Peter police then executed a search warrant at the home and found a firearm that he had pointed at the camera in an online post. He was arrested without incident and booked into Blue Earth County Jail, police said.

Following his arrest, an extreme risk protection order was granted against him, allowing police to seize his guns, which included an AR-style rifle and two 3D-printed handguns.

At a virtual hearing related to that order, held Wednesday, the court ruled that he is prohibited from possessing guns for one year and is believed to be a risk to the public.

Mohamed is due back in court on his criminal case in May. He remains in custody.

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