ODU Report Says Feds Withheld 2016 ISIS Conviction Before March 12 Campus Shooting
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 30
ODU Report Says Feds Withheld 2016 ISIS Conviction Before March 12 Campus Shooting
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 30
Summary
An independent ODU review found no federal or state agency warned the university that returning student Mohamed Bailor Jalloh had a 2016 terrorism conviction before the March 12 ROTC classroom attack.
Jalloh — who had served eight years in prison and was released in December 2024 — killed Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, wounded two students and was fatally subdued by ROTC cadets.
The report said ODU likely would have tried to remove him from campus had it known his record; his probation officer could have required disclosure, but no notice went to university officials or campus police.
Virginia's 2022 law bars public universities from asking applicants about criminal history, and ODU's post-admission questionnaire then covered only first-time students, not readmitted students like Jalloh.
ODU has since expanded that screening to returning students, while the FBI said criminal-history notification to colleges is a shared responsibility and noted Jalloh's case had been publicly detailed in DOJ press releases.