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ODU Report Finds School Was Never Told Student Gunman Had ISIS Conviction

A university-commissioned investigation into the deadly March shooting at Old Dominion University found that school officials were never informed that the returning student accused of carrying out the attack had…

Andrew PowellJul 30, 20263 min read

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A university-commissioned investigation into the deadly March shooting at Old Dominion University found that school officials were never informed that the returning student accused of carrying out the attack had previously been convicted on federal terrorism charges linked to ISIS.

According to Fox News, the independent report concluded that no federal or state agency notified the university that Mohamed Bailor Jalloh had served prison time after his 2016 conviction for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State terrorist group.

According to investigators, Jalloh entered an ROTC classroom on March 12, reportedly shouted "Allahu Akbar," and opened fire.

An Army veteran instructor was killed, two students were injured, and ROTC members fatally stopped the attacker.

The report stated that if university officials had known about Jalloh's criminal history, they likely would have sought to remove him from campus because of the potential threat he posed, particularly to military-affiliated students and staff.

"The FBI does not serve as a notification authority for colleges or universities regarding an individual’s criminal history," the agency told Fox News Digital. The bureau added that Jalloh's terrorism case had been publicly announced by the Department of Justice through multiple press releases issued in 2016 and 2017.

The FBI also noted that information about Jalloh's conviction and sentencing remains publicly available on the Justice Department's website.

Old Dominion University said Virginia law, enacted in 2022, prohibits public colleges from asking applicants about criminal history during the admissions process.

As a result, the school removed those questions from its applications and relied on applicants to disclose their backgrounds or on outside agencies to provide relevant information.

The report also found that Jalloh's federal probation officer had the authority to require him to disclose his criminal record to third parties while on supervised release. No notification was sent to the university or campus police.

Investigators argued that because Virginia law limits what universities can ask prospective students before admission, communication from law enforcement becomes even more important when public safety concerns exist.

The investigation also identified a gap in the university's own procedures.

While ODU sent post-admission criminal history questionnaires to first-time students, the policy did not apply to returning students like Jalloh.

Jalloh first attended ODU in 2007 before leaving the university. After serving approximately eight years in federal prison, he was released in December 2024 and successfully applied for readmission in 2025.

The report said nothing else in his application raised concerns. He listed a private residential address rather than a prison address, and professors who taught him before the shooting reported no behavioral issues.

Following the attack, ODU expanded its post-admission criminal history questionnaire to include returning students in an effort to close the policy gap identified during the investigation.

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