Former US National Guard member kills one, wounds two at Old Dominion University, FBI investigates shooting as act of terrorism
WASHINGTON: A former US National Guard member who shot dead a man at a university in the state of Virginia was previously jailed for attempting to aid the Islamic State group, authorities said Thursday.
The assailant died in the incident on Thursday, which wounded two others, on the campus of Old Dominion University south of the US capital Washington.
The FBI said it was investigating the shooting as “an act of terrorism.”
Authorities identified the suspect as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a former member of the National Guard who pleaded guilty in 2016 to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State group.
“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,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement posted on X.
“The FBI is now investigating the shooting as an act of terrorism.”
Jalloh was sentenced to prison in 2017 and released in 2024.
Special Agent Dominique Evans of the FBI’s Norfolk field office told reporters that the suspect shouted “Allahu akbar” (“God is the greatest”) before the attack.
The suspect “wanted to conduct a terrorist attack, similar to that in Fort Hood, Texas,” Evans said, referring to a 2009 mass shooting carried out by a US Army psychiatrist who killed 13 people and injured more than 30 others.
That shooter, Nidal Hasan, had reportedly exhibited signs of radicalization, and he too shouted “Allahu akbar” before beginning his killing spree.
Evans said the suspect at Old Dominion made no mention of Iran, the country currently at war with the United States and Israel, during his attack.
All three shooting victims were members of ROTC, the college-based Reserve Officers’ Training Corps that trains students to become commissioned officers in the US military.
Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger identified the victim who died as Lt. Col. Brandon Shah. She said Shah was an ROTC instructor.
“Lt. Col. Shah didn’t just lead a life of service to our country, he taught and led others to follow that path,” Spanberger wrote on X.
Evans did not say whether the victims were targeted because they were part of ROTC, but hailed students for their rapid response.
“There were students that were in that room that subdued him and rendered him no longer alive,” she said, noting the suspect was not shot. She did not provide details on how he died.
“The brave ROTC members in that room subdued him and if not for them I’m not sure what else he may have done,” she said.
Old Dominion University said in a statement that police and emergency personnel “responded immediately” to the attack and that “the gunman is now deceased.”
School shootings are a regular occurrence in the United States, where guns outnumber people and regulations on purchasing even powerful military-style rifles are lax.
