Suspected Islamist Gunman Kills ROTC Instructor At Virginia University

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

NORFOLK, VIRGINIA (Worthy News) – Investigations continued Friday after a suspected Islamist gunman opened fire in a classroom at Old Dominion University in the U.S. state of Virginia on Thursday, killing a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) instructor and wounding two others before he was subdued by students and died, officials said.

Authorities identified the attacker as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, 36, who had previously been convicted of supporting the Islamic State (ISIS) group.

Officials described him as a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Sierra Leone and a former soldier in the Virginia Army National Guard, military experience he apparently used during Thursday’s attack.

Witnesses said the gunman shouted “Allahu Akbar” — Arabic for “Allah is greatest” — before opening fire in the morning inside a classroom at the university campus in the city of Norfolk.

Virginia is home to several major military bases, including nearby Naval Station Norfolk, the largest naval base in the world. Officials confirmed that Lieutenant Colonel Brandon Shah, an ROTC instructor and U.S. Army helicopter pilot who served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Eastern Europe, was killed in the attack.

VICTIM WAS ROTC INSTRUCTOR

Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger called Shah a dedicated officer who “didn’t just lead a life of service to our country, he taught and led others to follow that path.”

Two other people injured in the attack were also connected to the U.S. Army through the university’s ROTC program, according to U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll.

Authorities said the shooting lasted only minutes before students affiliated with the ROTC program confronted and subdued the attacker.

Dominique Evans, special agent in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Norfolk field office, said students managed to stop the assault and “rendered him no longer alive,” preventing further casualties.

Emergency responders confirmed the attacker was dead less than 10 minutes after the first emergency call, police said.

ATTACK STOPPED WITHIN MINUTES

Investigators have not yet determined the precise cause of the suspect’s death and declined to say whether police officers fired their weapons.

Officials noted that Jalloh had a long history of terrorism-related activity.

In 2016, he pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to ISIS — a charge that under U.S. law includes providing money, weapons, training, or other assistance to a designated terrorist organization.

Court documents showed that Jalloh attempted to send gift-card codes to someone he believed was an ISIS member and also tried to obtain an AK-47 rifle for a plot targeting U.S. military personnel.

Authorities arrested him after an FBI sting operation, in which the weapon he purchased had already been rendered inoperable.

PREVIOUS ISIS SUPPORT CASE

Jalloh was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release, and he was released from federal custody in December 2024, according to officials.

Before his arrest, he had served as a combat engineer in the Virginia Army National Guard from 2009 to 2015, receiving an honorable discharge.

The FBI said it is treating Thursday’s attack as an act of terrorism and that its Joint Terrorism Task Force is leading the investigation with local authorities.

The shooting comes amid growing concerns among U.S. officials that Iranian sleeper cells — militants waiting for instructions — could be activated to carry out attacks against the United States and its allies, particularly as tensions remain high in the broader Middle East conflict.

FBI Director Kash Patel said federal investigators were working to determine whether the suspect had links to extremist networks or had acted alone. Officials urged anyone with information about the suspect or the attack to contact the FBI amid the ongoing investigation.

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