Man who killed 1 Fargo officer, hurt 2, was interviewed about guns in 2021 after tip, FBI says

MINNEAPOLIS — The heavily armed man who killed one Fargo police officer and wounded two as they were investigating a traffic stop earlier this month had been interviewed about his guns in 2021 after the FBI received a tip, but it was determined he had done nothing illegal and no further action was taken, authorities said Thursday. In a statement in response to questions from The Associated Press, the FBI and Fargo Police Department said the FBI received an anonymous tip about Mohamad Barakat in July 2021 in which the tipster expressed concern about Barakat’s mental state, saying he had access to a “ significant number of firearms ” and had used threatening language. A search of Barakat’s apartment after the shooting revealed that over the last five years, he had searched the internet for terms including “kill fast,” “explosive ammo” and “mass shooting events,” state Attorney General Drew Wrigley said last week. On the night before the shooting, Barakat also searched for “area events where there are crowds,” which brought up a news article with the headline “Thousands enjoy first day of Downtown Fargo Street Fair.” Had Officer Zach Robinson not killed Barakat, 37, authorities said the attack might have been much worse. After the shooting, police discovered Barakat’s car was loaded with guns, a homemade grenade, more than 1,800 rounds of ammunition, three “largish” containers full of gasoline, plus two propane tanks, one completely filled and the other half-filled with homemade explosive materials, Wrigley said.