Terrorism Convict Released Early After Drug Program, Then Commits University Shooting
A man who opened fire in a classroom at Virginia's Old Dominion University had been granted early release from federal prison in 2024 after completing a drug treatment program, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Early Release Raises Questions
Mohamed Bailor Jalloh was sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2017 after pleading guilty to providing material support to the Islamic State group, a designated foreign terrorist organization. Prison records indicate he was released approximately two and a half years early from his sentence.
It remains unclear how Jalloh qualified for the prison drug treatment program, which typically allows inmates to reduce their sentences by up to one year. Inmates serving sentences for terrorism-related offenses are generally not eligible for such programs or other sentence-reducing credits under normal circumstances.
Deadly Attack on Campus
Jalloh, a former Virginia Army National Guard member who authorities said was taking online classes at the university, killed one person and injured two others in Thursday's shooting. ROTC students subdued and killed him during the attack.
Some elected officials have questioned how someone with known ties to the Islamic State group was able to carry out such an attack. U.S. Representative Jen Kiggans, who represents the congressional district neighboring the university, wrote on Facebook: "The horrific tragedy that occurred today on ODU's campus never should have happened."
Release and Supervision Details
According to court records, Jalloh was transferred from a prison facility to a residential reentry center, or halfway house, in August 2024 and was released from federal custody on December 23, 2024. He was on supervised release, the federal equivalent of probation, when he attacked Old Dominion University on Thursday. Based on his release date, his supervised release period would have extended into 2029.
A probation officer visited Jalloh's Sterling, Virginia, home every six months, with the last visit occurring in November, according to a law enforcement affidavit filed Friday against a man charged with supplying a gun to Jalloh.
Original Terrorism Conviction
Jalloh's October 2016 guilty plea came after a three-month sting operation during which he confessed to an undercover FBI agent that he was considering carrying out an attack similar to the 2009 shootings at Fort Hood, which left 13 people dead. Authorities launched the 2016 operation after Jalloh made contact with members of the Islamic State group in Africa earlier that year.
Court documents reveal that Jalloh later told an informant the Islamic State group had asked if he wanted to participate in an attack. He attempted to donate $500 to the group, but the money actually went to an account controlled by the FBI. Jalloh then tried to buy an AR-15 assault rifle from a Virginia gun store but was turned away due to improper paperwork. The affidavit states he returned the next day and purchased a different assault rifle, which prosecutors said was rendered inoperable before Jalloh left the store, unbeknownst to him. He was arrested the following day.
Sentencing Debate and Drug Program
The Justice Department requested a 20-year prison sentence for Jalloh in 2017, noting he had made multiple attempts to join the Islamic State group and had attempted to acquire a gun to carry out a murder plot. Prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum: "The defendant was fully aware of what he was doing, and the consequences of those actions. His only misgivings seemed to be a fear that he would waver at the critical moment."
Jalloh's lawyers requested a sentence of six and a half years in prison and asked that he be placed in a facility providing residential drug treatment for inmates with addiction and substance abuse issues. U.S. District Judge Liam O'Grady, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, sentenced him instead to 11 years in prison, with credit for time served since his July 2016 arrest.
The judge also ordered Jalloh to participate in programs for substance abuse testing and treatment, mental health treatment, and requested he be evaluated for the federal prison system's residential drug program. Completing the Residential Drug Abuse Program can reduce an inmate's prison sentence by up to one year, according to the federal Bureau of Prisons.
Background and Radicalization
Little is publicly known about Jalloh, a naturalized citizen from Sierra Leone. Court documents depict him as a troubled man radicalized by Anwar al-Awlaki, a well-known American imam who became an al-Qaida propagandist.
The Virginia Army National Guard confirmed he served as a specialist from 2009 until 2015, when he was honorably discharged. According to a 2016 FBI affidavit, Jalloh told a government informant he quit the National Guard after hearing lectures from al-Awlaki.
In a letter to the federal judge presiding over his sentencing, Jalloh wrote: "I feel deep regret in having been driven by my emotions rather than my intellect and becoming involved with such an evil organization. ... I reject and deplore terrorism and any groups associated with it, especially ISIL."
He wrote that he started using drugs after his girlfriend ended their six-year relationship, stating: "The pain I felt internally was unbearable, and drugs and alcohol were the only things that took that pain away. I started doing marijuana, coke and mushrooms using one of them at least on a daily basis in order to kill the pain I was in and to fill in the void I felt internally."
The letter itself remains under seal, but his lawyer included excerpts in his sentencing memorandum. A message seeking information about Jalloh's incarceration and release was left with the federal Bureau of Prisons.
