ISIS-Linked Ex-National Guardsman Carries Out Deadly Shooting At Old Dominion University

A chilling reminder of the ongoing terror threat inside the United States unfolded Thursday when a former National Guardsman with known ISIS ties carried out a deadly shooting at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.

Authorities have identified the attacker as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a 36-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Sierra Leone. Jalloh had previously been convicted of attempting to provide material support to ISIS, yet was released early from prison in December 2024 a decision that is now drawing intense scrutiny.

According to investigators, Jalloh stormed into a classroom at Old Dominion University and asked students if the class was part of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). When someone confirmed that it was, he immediately opened fire.

The professor, a retired military officer, was shot multiple times and later died at the hospital. Two additional victims both Army personnel were wounded in the attack.

What happened next likely prevented a far greater tragedy.

A group of students rushed the gunman and fought back, with one student stabbing Jalloh and stopping the attack before he could continue firing into the classroom.

FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that the attacker was killed during the struggle.

“The shooter is now deceased thanks to a group of brave students who stepped in and subdued him actions that undoubtedly saved lives along with the quick response of law enforcement,” Patel said.

The FBI has since opened a full terrorism investigation through the Joint Terrorism Task Force.

The background on Jalloh makes the incident even more alarming.

Federal investigators had already documented a long trail of extremist behavior tied to ISIS:

• Jalloh discussed plans with a government informant to carry out a Fort Hood-style attack against U.S. military personnel

• He traveled to Africa in 2015 and met with an ISIS recruiter while attempting to join the terrorist organization

• At one point, he boarded a truck carrying ISIS recruits headed toward a training pipeline before backing out after 18 hours

• He sent $500 to someone he believed was an ISIS member who turned out to be an undercover FBI agent

Jalloh ultimately pleaded guilty in October 2015 to attempting to provide material support to ISIS and was sentenced to 11 years in prison along with five years of supervised release.

Yet he was released early in 2024 roughly two years before the end of his sentence.

The consequences of that decision are now impossible to ignore.

ISIS has repeatedly encouraged “lone wolf” attacks against military targets in the United States, and ROTC programs have long been viewed as symbolic extensions of the U.S. armed forces. According to the Global Terrorism Database, more than 90 jihadist-inspired plots or attacks have been recorded in the United States since the September 11 attacks.

The United States has also experienced several high-profile attacks targeting military personnel, including the 2009 Fort Hood massacre that killed 13 service members and the 2015 Chattanooga shooting that left five military personnel dead.

Jalloh’s alleged fixation on carrying out a similar attack shows how enduring those ideological influences remain.

Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll confirmed that the injured victims in the classroom were Army personnel, reinforcing the likelihood that the attack was deliberately aimed at military members.

The violence in Virginia was not the only alarming incident Thursday.

Hours later, authorities say another attacker rammed a vehicle into a synagogue in Michigan before opening fire on the building a disturbing reminder that America continues to face multiple forms of ideological violence at once.

While investigators continue to piece together the details of the Old Dominion attack, one fact is already clear: the actions of a few courageous students prevented a far greater loss of life.

Their willingness to step forward in the middle of a terror attack turned what could have been a mass-casualty event into a moment of extraordinary bravery.

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