Overview
- Old Dominion University said it had no prior knowledge of Mohamed Bailor Jalloh’s terrorism conviction and that state law requires reliance on voluntary disclosure of criminal records.
- Jalloh, 36, fatally shot ROTC instructor Lt. Col. Brandon Shah and wounded two others in a March 12 classroom attack; he was enrolled in an online course for the spring 2026 term.
- WTKR reports the law, effective January 2022, bars public universities from asking about criminal history and forbids using third‑party disclosures alone to deny admission, with limited pre‑enrollment exceptions.
- Jalloh pleaded guilty in 2016 to attempting to support ISIS, was sentenced to 11 years, released from federal custody on December 23, 2024 after completing a drug treatment program, and re‑enrolled at ODU in summer 2025.
- The FBI is investigating the shooting as terror-related as Republicans push measures such as the SCAM Act to enable denaturalization and deportation of terrorists and Democrats emphasize gun-violence prevention and campus safety.