VIRGINIA — A man who recently pled guilty to providing support to the Islamic State was released from federal prison in 2024, yesterday he opened fire in a classroom at Old Dominion University, killing one person and injuring two before he was subdued and killed, initially covered by Fox 5.
The suspect, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh of Sterling, Virginia carried out the attack after completing his 2016 sentence on terrorism-related charges, sparking concern from officials about his release.
Old Dominion University faced a shooting event on their Norfolk campus on March 12, 2026 that left Lieutenant Colonel Brandon Shah dead and two others wounded. The suspect, Mohamed Jalloh, was a naturalized U.S. citizen from Sierra Leone, and even a former member of the Army National Guard, according to the FBI.
Jallooh entered a classroom and opened fire Thursday before students subdued and killed him. Back in October 2016, Jalloh was caught providing material support to designated foreign terrorist organizations before being sentenced to 11 years in federal prison in 2017, after being arrested in July 2016.
According to the U.S. Justice Department, Mohamed Jalloh convened and met with members of the Islamic State while on a trip to Africa. After returning stateside, Jalloh unknowingly made contact with an FBI source, whom he confessed to that he “thought about conducting an attack all the time”. Jalloh made references to the Fort Hood event in 2009 that killed 13 people and was arrested after purchasing a rifle at a local gun store in Virginia.
Through open-source investigation, it was also revealed that in Jalloh’s case, Fatmatu H. Jalloh appeared alongside Joseph T. Flood as Counsel for the Defendant. It was noted that Fatmatu Jalloh (Mohamed’s sister) is a Sterling-based immigration attorney that serves as the Managing Attorney of Jalloh LLC. Prior her work at Jalloh LLC, Fatmatu once held a position as a Senior FOIA Analyst before dedicating her work to immigration advocacy.
A confirmation of records in corporate data shows that Jalloh, LLC is operated out of McLean, Virginia while the registered agent address (Fatmatu Jalloh) is located in Georgia.
Speculation grows, as it still remains unclear why this individual was released from federal prison early on Dec. 23, 2024. It is common for federal inmates to shave time off their sentences through multiple pathways, but no specific factors have been disclosed regarding Jalloh’s release from custody.
Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, a professor of military science and an ROTC instructor at the university, was killed by Mohamed Jalloh yesterday. Shah was a Virginia native and joined the U.S. Army in 2003 as an Aviations Operations Specialist. The fallen warrior also accomplished commendable higher education goals, holding an MBA from the University of Georgia and a master’s degree from the University of Kansas.
U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans, who represents a nearby district in Virginia stated in a Facebook post: “The horrific tragedy that occurred today on ODU’s campus never should have happened.” Her statement reflects the rising questions as to how an individual with confirmed ties to the Islamic State was not only released from prison early, but was provided an opportunity to carry out an attack claiming an American life.
The recent terror-affiliated attack in Virginia continues to raise immediate concern into the handling of individuals with prior terrorism-related offenses. No further information on Mohamed Jalloh or his post-release details have been provided or released by authorities.
