A sentence just shy of eight months in jail was given to a Minnesota man who shoplifted body armor among other items and allegedly posted politically motivated threats on social media to potentially create mass casualties.
Mohamed Adan Mohamed, 24, of St. Peter, was sentenced Monday in Blue Earth County District Court after pleading guilty to felony theft in connection with stealing body armor and other items from a Mankato Scheels store on April 17.
He also had been accused of posting deadly threats regarding the United States and Israel, but that charge of felony threats of violence was dismissed under a plea deal reached in June.
With credit for time in jail since his arrest, Mohamed has about 80 days left to serve. Judge Mark Betters also imposed three years of supervised probation. If Mohamed abides by the terms of his probation, his felony conviction could be lowered to a misdemeanor.
Store employees alerted police about a man wearing a heavy winter jacket, stocking cap, COVID mask and gloves while selecting “high-priced items” without checking the price, including eight 9-millimeter rifle magazines, bear spray and body armor.
Mohamed told people in the store that he has an AR-style rifle that uses 9-millimeter ammunition and soon left the store without paying for the $2,150 in merchandise. He got in a minivan and nearly ran over a person before reaching Raintree Road.
Police determined that Mohamed was looking at a list as he selected the items. He left the list in the store. At the top, it read, “Survival Gear List with Alternative.” The items noted included a sleeping bag, eight magazines, knives, pepper spray, and bows and arrows.
