The FBI credits heroic students for preventing a full-scale massacre.
By Catholics for Catholics
The attacker who started shooting at Old Dominion University on Thursday, slaying a retired military officer instructing an ROTC class, has been identified as a former National Guard soldier who was convicted of supporting ISIS
According to a story by The Daily Wire, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, 36, thundered into a classroom inside ODU’s Constant Hall and inquired if it was an ROTC class. When someone said yes, he started the suspected terror attack, firing at the professor several times, law enforcement sources said.
That’s when a brave ROTC cadet at the Virginia school sprang into action to avoid more bloodshed, stabbing and killing Jalloh after the deranged gunman killed the class instructor, the sources said.
FBI Director Kash Patel recognized the brave students for saving many lives by stopping the gunman who carried out the attack.
“Earlier today, an armed individual opened fire at Old Dominion University, leaving one person dead and two others wounded. 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,” Patel said in a social media post.
A former National Guardsman with past ties to ISIS killed one person and wounded two in a shooting at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, before being stopped by students, in an attack the FBI is investigating as terrorism. pic.twitter.com/yyyFYlT04S
— KolHaolam (@KolHaolam) March 13, 2026
Patel said the students likely saved many lives. “The FBI is now investigating the shooting as an act of terrorism. Our Joint Terrorism Task Force is fully engaged, embedded with local authorities, and providing all resources necessary in the investigation,” he said. “In the meantime, please pray for the victims, their families, and the ODU community.”
Jalloh was a prior Virginia National Guardsman who was convicted in 2016 for conspiring to provide material support for ISIS. During a press conference Thursday afternoon, the FBI spoke about the students who subdued and killed Jalloh.
Dominique Evans, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Norfolk office Evans also noted that Jalloh yelled “Allahu Akbar” during his attack.
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