Two Deadly Attacks Rock Virginia University and Michigan Synagogue

A former National Guard member killed one person at Old Dominion University before being stopped by ROTC students. Separately, a man crashed into a Michigan synagogue filled with children before taking his own life.

Two separate violent incidents occurring within two hours of each other left communities in Virginia and Michigan shaken Thursday, with authorities crediting quick thinking by civilians for preventing greater loss of life.

At Old Dominion University in Virginia, a former military service member who had previously been imprisoned for attempting to support ISIS carried out a deadly shooting in a campus classroom. The gunman fatally shot one individual and injured two others before being neutralized by ROTC students on scene.

Meanwhile in Michigan, an individual who had recently received devastating news about family members killed in Middle East violence drove his vehicle into a synagogue building before ending his own life. Though 140 children and staff members were inside the facility at the time, none sustained injuries. However, a security guard was struck by the vehicle and lost consciousness.

According to law enforcement and court documents, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh shouted “Allahu akbar” and inquired about whether an ROTC gathering was taking place before beginning his attack.

The shooting claimed the life of Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, who served as an ROTC instructor, while injuring two additional victims. Federal investigators commended the courage displayed by students who prevented additional casualties.

Medical officials report that one injured person has been discharged from the hospital, while Sentara Health indicates the second victim remains in fair condition.

ROTC participants receive educational funding in exchange for military officer training during their college years.

FBI Director Kash Patel announced via social media that investigators are treating the university shooting as a terrorist act.

Jalloh had become a U.S. citizen after immigrating from Sierra Leone and served as a specialist in Virginia’s Army National Guard until receiving an honorable discharge in 2015.

Two years later, he admitted guilt to charges of providing assistance to ISIS and received an 11-year prison sentence. His early release came after participating in a substance abuse treatment program, though sources told The Associated Press that such programs typically exclude individuals convicted of terrorism-related crimes.

Questions remain about how he became eligible for the program given the usual restrictions for terrorism convictions.

Prison records show Jalloh was moved to a halfway house in August 2024 and completed his federal custody later that year.

At the time of the shooting, he was under probation supervision and enrolled in online courses at the university.

In the Michigan incident, 41-year-old Ayman Mohammad Ghazali spent approximately two hours waiting outside Temple Israel near Detroit with a rifle, commercial fireworks, and containers of what investigators believe was gasoline before ramming into the building.

He began shooting through his windshield and engaged in gunfire with an armed security officer. Ghazali took his own life after becoming trapped in his vehicle when the engine ignited, according to Jennifer Runyan, who heads the FBI’s Detroit office.

Federal investigators leading the case have characterized the assault on one of America’s largest Reform Jewish congregations as violence directed at the Jewish community, though they state insufficient evidence exists currently to classify it as terrorism.

Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard praised the preparedness and training that enabled the rapid response to the attack.

Ghazali was born in Lebanon and had recently learned that an Israeli military strike in his homeland had killed his two brothers along with a niece and nephew, according to an official from the town of Mashgharah who spoke to the AP. The family members died in their home during their evening meal to break the Ramadan fast.

The same official, speaking anonymously due to restrictions on public discussion of the airstrike details, noted that their mother suffered severe injuries and remains hospitalized.

Israeli forces have intensified operations against Hezbollah, the Iranian-supported militant organization in Lebanon, as regional conflict has expanded throughout the Middle East.

Immigration records from the Department of Homeland Security show Ghazali arrived in the United States in 2011 through a spousal visa as the husband of an American citizen, obtaining his own citizenship five years later.

His residence was a single-level brick house in Dearborn Heights, a Detroit suburb located roughly 38 miles from the synagogue.