There were two terrorist attacks today in the US. One was at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. The shooter killed one person and injured two, and is dead himself.

I feel fairly confident in calling it a terrorist attack rather than “merely” a school shooting because the shooter has been identified as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, 36. And guess what? He was convicted in 2016 of ISIS ties:

In 2016, he was arrested for attempting to provide material support to ISIS, according to public court documents. He allegedly attempted to help procure weapons intended to be used in what he anticipated was going to be an attack in the U.S., the complaint said at the time. The complaint also alleged that he attempted to provide funds to individuals hoping to join ISIS.

He pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and was sentenced to 11 years in prison. He was released in 2024, according to the Department of Justice.

Although he didn’t serve the full eleven years, it seems he served close to eight years. Even eleven would not have been enough, however – although it’s hard to see how he could have been sentenced to more than that, because it was just an attempt. He is a US citizen; you can find a lot more information here. He apparently was radicalized by listening to recorded sermons of al Qaeda’s Anwar al-Awlaki, and then [emphasis mine]:

Following service in the National Guard, Jalloh traveled to Africa, where he stayed between July 2015 and January 2016. While in Nigeria, according to FBI investigators, Jalloh first established contact with an ISIS operative who later introduced Jalloh to the CHS [Confidential Human Source].* Jalloh told the CHS in April 2016 that he wished to carry out a domestic attack similar to the Fort Hood shootings carried out by Nidal Hasan in 2009.* Jalloh also allegedly spoke about targeting an unidentified person who had organized several “Draw Muhammad” cartoon contests.*

In May 2016, the CHS introduced Jalloh to an undercover FBI agent posing as an ISIS member.* During conversations on an unidentified mobile messaging service, Jalloh allegedly told the agent that it was best to plan an attack during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. He allegedly believed such violent operations were “100 percent the right thing to do,” and he prayed to Allah to make him a martyr.* Jalloh allegedly gave the agent $500, believing it would reach ISIS’s coffers.*

On July 1, 2016, Jalloh entered the Blue Ridge Arsenal gun store and firing range in Chantilly, Virginia. According to security footage and the store’s owner, Jalloh allegedly tried to purchase a Bushmaster AR-15, but did not have adequate identification.* Jalloh returned the following day and purchased a Stag Arms 5.56 caliber assault rifle.* The FBI arrested him on July 3 and charged him with attempting to provide material support to ISIS. Jalloh pled guilty on October 27, 2016.* He was sentenced to 11 years in prison on February 10, 2017. In a letter to the court, alloh reportedly renounced ISIS and its “superficial and dishonest interpretation of Islam.”*

That renunciation was almost certainly bogus and/or temporary. Note how Jalloh seems to have now followed his original plan: an attack on military people – such as the Fort Hood attacker’s victims – during Ramadan. It’s Ramadan right now. The “military people” part was fulfilled because of this:

The victims have not been identified. Two of them are members of the school’s ROTC program, NBC affiliate WAVY of Portsmouth, Virginia, reported.

“We can confirm that two members of the university ROTC program were shot and were taken to a local hospital to treat their injuries,” the U.S. Army Cadet Command told the station in a statement.

Officials said Jalloh allegedly targeted an ROTC class and was a former member of the Army National Guard.

That’s followed by “a motive in the shooting is unclear.” That seems extremely absurd at this point.

The day’s second attack involved a perp – also now deceased but as yet unidentified – who rammed a car into a synagogue in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan. Fortunately, no one but the perp was killed in this one, mainly because there were security officers on the scene who opened fire. The perp fired back and wounded one guard, and eight first responders are also being treated.

It’s not totally clear whether they killed him, he killed himself, or he died in a car fire.

We await word on his identity. Could be a jihadi, or could be just the usual Jew-hater on left or right. So many possibilities!

I doubt these attacks were coordinated with each other. There’s a lot of chaos and violence as well as incitement these days, all of which act as releasers for those inclined to attack. There’s certainly also the possibility of higher-up organization. However, I’d expect the latter to feature larger attacks.