Who is Old Dominion University shooter Mohamed Jallow? An ISIS supporter to be released from prison in 2024

The shooter at Old Dominion University in Virginia has been identified as 36-year-old Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a former Army National Guard soldier who was earlier convicted of supporting the Islamic State. In 2017, Jallow was sentenced to 11 years in prison, plus five years of supervised release, for attempting to provide material support to ISIS. Jalloh burst into a classroom in ODU’s Constant Hall on Thursday and asked if it was a ROC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) course. As some have confirmed, he started shooting professors. After Jallow killed a retired military officer and professor, an ROTC cadet jumped into action and stabbed Jallow to death. The shooting is being investigated as terrorism-related. Jallow left the National Guard and became a follower of Anwar al-Awlaki, the slain leader of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. During a six-month stay in Africa, he once established contact with members of the Islamic State. The Justice Department said an FBI informant stumbled upon Jallow during a meeting during the trip when he mentioned his desire to launch a terrorist attack.Jallow told FBI sources that he believed it was best to plan the attack during Ramadan, which runs from mid-February to mid-March, because it was “100 percent the right thing to do,” according to the Justice Department.After returning to the United States, Jallow tried unsuccessfully to obtain a gun in North Carolina. He then went to a gun dealer in his hometown of northern Virginia, who sold him an assault rifle, but it became inoperable before he left with it. Jalloh was arrested the day after purchasing the assault rifle and was released in 2024. It’s unclear why his sentence was shortened. Jallow is from Sierra Leone and is a naturalized U.S. citizen. “Earlier today, an armed man opened fire at Old Dominion University, killing one person and injuring two others,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The shooter is now deceased as a brave group of students intervened and subdued him. These actions, coupled with the rapid response of law enforcement, undoubtedly saved lives.” “The FBI is currently investigating this shooting as an act of terrorism. Our Joint Terrorism Task Force is fully engaged, working with local authorities and providing all necessary resources to the investigation,” Patel said.