Former terrorism convict behind fatal shooting at Old Dominion University

A man who opened fire in a classroom at Old Dominion University had previously been convicted of supporting the militant group Islamic State and was on probation for that offence at the time of the attack, according to US authorities and court documents, cited by US media.

The shooting occurred on Thursday, March 12, on the university’s campus in Norfolk, Virginia. One person was killed, and two others were injured before the suspect, identified by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, 36, was also killed. Federal officials said the case is being investigated as an act of terrorism.

The victim who died from his injuries was identified as Brandon A. Shah, a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army. Dan Driscoll said the two people injured in the attack were also Army personnel.

Officials said the suspect shouted religious slogans during the attack and was subdued by students.

Jalloh previously served in the Virginia National Guard as a combat engineer from 2009 to 2015. Military officials said he had no overseas deployments and was honourably discharged.

Court records show he was arrested in 2016 on charges of attempting to provide material support to ISIS. Prosecutors said he had sent gift card codes to an undercover FBI employee whom he believed to be an ISIS member and had travelled to North Carolina seeking to purchase an AK-47 rifle as part of a plan to kill US military personnel. After the seller refused, he bought an AR-15 rifle at a gun store and was arrested the following day.

Jalloh later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 11 years in prison, followed by five years of probation, including participation in a computer monitoring program. He was released from prison in 2024 and remained under supervision at the time of the attack.

Defence filings in the earlier case described his extremist views as a misguided search for identity and argued that his life had been shaped by trauma and displacement.

One of his former attorneys, Ashraf Nubani, said he had not been in contact with Jalloh since representing him and had no information about the shooting.

By Tamilla Hasanova