Authorities have identified the gunman who opened fire at Old Dominion University on Thursday as Mohamed Jalloh, a former National Guardsman previously convicted of supporting ISIS. The shooting resulted in one death and two injuries before the suspect was killed.
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the incident on X, announcing that the agency is officially investigating the attack as an act of terrorism. “Earlier today, an armed individual opened fire at Old Dominion University, leaving one person dead and two others wounded,” Patel stated.
He credited a group of students and law enforcement for stopping the threat, noting that the “shooter is now deceased thanks to a group of brave students who stepped in and subdued him.”
Jalloh’s history with federal law enforcement dates back to 2016. According to Justice Department records, Jalloh met with an ISIS member and an undercover FBI informant, expressing a desire to execute a mass shooting similar to the 2009 Fort Hood attack.
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A sentencing memo from his 2017 trial detailed how Jalloh attempted to provide funds to the terrorist organization and tried to purchase an AK-47 for what he believed was a plot to kill U.S. military personnel.
The 2017 memo noted that an ISIS broker known as Abu Saad Sudani had introduced Jalloh to the informant. “It was the result of Sudani’s actions in brokering the introduction with [the informant] that the FBI learned that the defendant was eager to provide material support to ISIL,” the document read.
While prosecutors originally sought a 20-year sentence, U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady sentenced Jalloh to 11 years in prison.
Court records show Jalloh was released from federal custody in December 2024, just months before the shooting in Norfolk. Local police and federal agents remain on the scene as the investigation into the university attack continues.
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