Terror Strikes ROTC Class — Unthinkable Scene

Sign for Old Dominion University at the campus entrance

A convicted ISIS supporter walked into an ROTC classroom at Old Dominion University and turned a public campus into a terrorism scene in minutes.

Quick Take

Police and the FBI say the March 12 shooting at Old Dominion University targeted an ROTC class, leaving an ROTC instructor dead and two students injured.
Authorities identified the suspect as Mohamed Jalloh, a former Virginia Army National Guard member who previously pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to ISIS.
ROTC students physically subdued the suspect and stopped the attack before police arrived, and officials said the suspect was not shot by responding officers.
The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force is leading the investigation, and FBI leadership publicly described the incident as an act of terrorism.

Terror hits an ROTC classroom in Norfolk

Old Dominion University officials and law enforcement said a gunman entered a classroom in Constant Hall in Norfolk, Virginia, around 10:43 a.m. on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Investigators said the suspect confirmed he was in an ROTC class, shouted “Allah Akbar,” and opened fire. The ROTC instructor was killed and two ROTC students were injured before the threat was ended inside the room.

ODU quickly issued emergency alerts and canceled classes for Thursday and Friday as police searched the building. ODU Police Chief Garrett Shelton said officers conducted room-by-room sweeps amid concerns about whether anyone else could be hiding or whether additional threats existed. Authorities later said there was no ongoing threat to campus, while the two injured students were transported to a hospital for treatment.

Suspect’s background raises hard questions about release and monitoring

Authorities identified the suspect as Mohamed Jalloh, described as a former Virginia Army National Guard combat engineer who served from April 2009 to April 2015 and separated as a specialist with no deployments. Investigators pointed to his prior terrorism case: in 2016, he pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to ISIS after communicating with an overseas ISIS member who connected him to a U.S.-based FBI informant.

Court and prison records cited in the reporting indicate Jalloh was sentenced to 11 years in October 2017 and released in December 2024. Available official statements in the provided reporting did not cite public warning signs of re-radicalization before the attack. That gap—between a prior conviction and a later alleged targeted attack—will likely intensify scrutiny of how terrorism convicts are supervised after release, and what tools federal agencies have to intervene before violence occurs.

ROTC cadets’ response stopped the threat before police gunfire

Officials said ROTC students confronted the shooter and subdued him, ending the attack inside the classroom. Law enforcement emphasized the suspect was “terminated” by students and that the suspect was not shot by responding officers. Authorities have not publicly detailed the exact method used to stop him, and they have not released the names of the cadets involved. Even with limited specifics, the key fact remains: students closed distance and stopped an armed attacker quickly.

For many Americans, that reality cuts through years of fashionable anti-police and anti-military rhetoric that has seeped into campuses and public life. The people closest to the threat acted decisively, while the system’s broader role now shifts to after-action investigation and accountability. The cadets’ rapid intervention likely prevented a higher casualty count, especially in a classroom where time and proximity matter more than speeches and policy memos.

FBI frames the case as terrorism as campus recovery begins

Federal officials said the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force is leading the probe, with FBI Special Agent Dominique Evans discussing the suspect’s apparent targeting of ROTC and the immediate termination of the threat. FBI Director Kash Patel publicly described the incident as an act of terrorism. ODU President Brian Hemphill called it a tragic day for the university, while administrators focused on sheltering students, communicating alerts, and beginning the process of counseling and recovery.

Old Dominion ROTC instructor killed by convicted ISIS terrorist ID'd as chair of military science department who served in the Middle East https://t.co/JsUgbmfs1z pic.twitter.com/y1NC1mGLHj

— New York Post (@nypost) March 13, 2026

Key uncertainties remain in the public record based on the provided sources, including the victim’s identity and additional biographical details cited in some discussion around the case. Officials have also acknowledged minor variations in how the suspect’s name is rendered in different reporting. As the investigation continues, the most reliable facts are those confirmed in law-enforcement briefings: the location, the timeline, the ROTC target, the suspect’s prior ISIS-related conviction, and the FBI’s terrorism designation.