Old Dominion University's campus remains on high alert as federal agents investigate Thursday's deadly classroom shooting as an act of terrorism carried out by a gunman who once pled guilty in a terrorism-related case tied to ISIS.
Authorities identified the shooter as 36-year-old Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a former Virginia Army National Guard member who died during the incident inside Constant Hall in Norfolk, Virginia.
One person was killed, and two others were injured in the attack, all of them affiliated with the university, according to officials. The FBI, now leading the investigation, said the shooting is being treated as an act of terrorism, according to Perez Hilton.
Investigators say Jalloh entered a classroom on Thursday morning, asked if it was an ROTC class, and opened fire after being told it was.
Witnesses reported that he shouted "Allahu Akbar" before firing multiple rounds, fatally shooting the class instructor, a retired Army officer, and wounding two ROTC students. ROTC members in the room then rushed the gunman and ultimately subdued him, though officials have not publicly detailed how he died.
Federal records and court documents show Jalloh previously pleaded guilty in 2016 to attempting to provide material support to ISIS, also known as ISIL. He admitted communicating with an ISIS member overseas and working with what turned out to be an FBI confidential informant in a plot to carry out an attack in the United States, ABC News reported.
Jalloh was sentenced to 11 to 12 years in prison in 2017 and released from federal custody in December 2024, later living under supervised release.
Old Dominion University briefly ordered students and staff to shelter in place before announcing the immediate threat was over. Officials have not released the name of the instructor who was killed, and the injured victims remain hospitalized.
Investigators are now reviewing Jalloh's recent activities, potential associates, and digital communications to determine whether anyone else helped plan the attack or knew about it in advance, as per WTKR.
Originally published on Lawyer Herald
