This Thursday morning, a Sierra Leonean man carried out a cowardly attack in which a military instructor died.
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A shooting that occurred Thursday at Old Dominion University (ODU), in Virginia, left an instructor dead and two students injured after a former member of the National Guard, previously convicted of supporting the terrorist group ISIS, opened fire inside a classroom on campus.
The attacker was identified as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, 36. According to police sources, the man entered a classroom in the Constant Hall building and asked if a class of the ROTC (Reserve Officers Corps Training) program, which prepares university students for military service, was being developed there. After receiving an affirmative answer, Jalloh started shooting at the
course instructor.
The professor, a retired military officer teaching the class, was shot several times and was rushed to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. During the attack, two members of the ROTC were also injured, although authorities reported that they are in stable condition
.
The shooting ended when an ROTC cadet intervened to arrest the assailant. According to the authorities, the student attacked Jalloh with a knife and managed to fatally stab him, preventing
the attack from causing more victims. The attack left at least one person dead and two others injured
The university's police chief, Garrett Shelton, confirmed at a press conference that the incident left one dead and two injured. Meanwhile, the director of the FBI, Kash Patel, noted that the case is being investigated as an act
of terrorism.
“Old Dominion University faced a tragedy on our main campus,” said the university's president, Brian Hemphill, in a statement. The official thanked the university police, emergency personnel and Norfolk city authorities for their quick response, who came to the scene to assist the injured and secure the
campus.
Jalloh's track record has garnered special attention among researchers. In 2017, the former Virginia National Guard soldier was sentenced to 11 years in prison for attempting to provide material support to ISIS, according to the U.S. Department of Justice
.
Jalloh, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Sierra Leone, had abandoned the National Guard and had become a follower of the extremist cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, former leader of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. During a six-month stay in Africa, the man established contacts with members of ISIS.
The director of the FBI assured that the incident is being investigated as an act of terrorism.
According to court documents, during a meeting observed by an FBI informant, Jalloh expressed his desire to carry out a terrorist attack. He also stated that he considered that the month of Ramadan, which runs approximately from mid-February to mid-March, would be the most appropriate time
to do so.
After returning to the United States, he tried to buy firearms in North Carolina without success. Later, he went to a gun store in Northern Virginia, where he purchased a rifle that was disabled before he left the store. Authorities arrested him the day after that purchase
.
At the time, relatives of the defendant claimed that Jalloh had been manipulated by the FBI informant. His brother, Cherner Jalloh, argued that the government took advantage of his concern about conflicts in the Middle East to incite him, while his sister stated that the authorities had “connected unrelated facts
” to build the case.
During his sentence, Jalloh expressed regret and stated that his relationship with ISIS had been “the most devastating mistake” of his life. He also said that the atrocities committed by the group repulsed him.
Jalloh was released from prison in December 2024. A little more than a year later, he staged the armed attack on the university campus, which is now being investigated by federal authorities as a
terrorist act. Mohammed Jalloh, was born in the African nation of Sierra Leone and lent his support to ISIS
