Mohamed Adan Mohamed, a 24-year-old charged with two felonies, was given a jail term and three years of probation after allegedly stealing $2,150 worth of firearm magazines and making a threatening, anti-American post on social media.
A special agent with Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) previously told law enforcement officials that “there were strong indicators that Mohamed was preparing to conduct some sort of attack (Mass Casualty Event) in the next twenty-four hours.”
In April, the Blue Earth County Attorney’s Office charged Mohamed with one count of felony theft and one count of felony threats of violence. Each charge carried a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both.
The criminal charges against Mohamed
According to the criminal complaint, Mohamed entered a Mankato store on April 17 wearing a COVID mask, gloves, a green stocking cap, and a heavy winter coat. The 24-year-old reportedly began selecting high-priced items such as body armor, bear spray, and 9mm firearm magazines without checking prices. As such, the business became suspicious.
Court documents state that Mohamed’s visit to the store included him speaking to staff about an AR-style rifle he claimed to possess, leaving the store with approximately $2,150 worth of products, security attempting to stop him, and Mohamed fleeing in a car and “nearly [running] over a person.”
Mohamed reportedly left behind a list that he referred to as he selected products.
“At the top of the list it says ‘Survival Gear List with Alternative’ which included sleeping bag, lighters, 8 magazines, knives, pepper spray, a ‘6-mag chest right,’ bows and arrows,” says the criminal complaint. “Mohammed [sic] had stolen eight magazines.”
Further, court documents say that a police officer was previously on a call for service which involved social media posts Mohamed allegedly made featuring ammunition and guns. The officer noted that one of the posts showed Mohamed pointing an assault rifle at the camera and included the hashtag “#deathtoamerikkan&israelliImperialism.”
A BCA special agent who was aware of the postings and the alleged theft reportedly told law enforcement officials that “there were strong indicators that Mohamed was preparing to conduct some sort of attack (Mass Casualty Event) in the next twenty-four hours.”
Mohamed pleads guilty, given three years of probation
After being charged, Mohamed was held in the Blue Earth County Jail where he received a mental health evaluation and was deemed competent to stand trial. An affidavit from his attorney had previously noted that Mohamed was “under the care of a mental health professional in the past.”
In July, a judicial order said Mohamed “appears to have been relatively cooperative at the Blue Earth County Jail. He has started new medication, been identified as a ‘trustee’ at the jail, completed about half of his GED tests, and is attending [Alcoholics Anonymous] and [Narcotics Anonymous] groups.”
Eventually, Mohamed pleaded guilty to the felony theft charge while the felony threats of violence charge was dismissed. Should Mohamed successfully complete probation, the felony conviction will be downgraded to a misdemeanor conviction.
Judge Mark Betters sentenced Mohamed to 232 days in the Blue Earth County Jail, but the 24-year-old received 152 days of credit for time served. Mohamed is not currently listed in the Blue Earth County Jail’s roster. A note from the judge’s sentencing order says Mohamed must be released “to treatment when bed becomes available.”
Additionally, Mohamed was placed on supervised probation for three years. During that time, Mohamed must remain law-abiding, not consume alcohol or drugs except prescribed medication, submit to random testing and searches, and not possess firearms, explosives, or ammunition.
While he was being held in the Blue Earth County Jail, Mohamed was charged with three felony drug charges in Nicollet County. The offenses in that case allegedly occurred before he was apprehended in the shoplifting case. Mohamed’s drug case is still pending.
Alpha News contacted Mohamed’s attorney for this story but did not hear back.
This story has been updated to note that Mohamed’s theft conviction will be downgraded to a misdemeanor conviction upon successful completion of probation.
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
