A United States lawmaker, Riley Moore, has alleged that a gunman who carried out an attack at Old Dominion University in Virginia previously met with members of the extremist group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Nigeria before the incident.
Moore made the claim on Saturday through a post on X while reacting to the shooting.
According to reports, the suspect, identified as Bailor Jalloh — a former member of the Virginia National Guard and a convicted supporter of ISIS — entered a classroom occupied by students of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) and opened fire.
Investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said the gunman shouted “Allahu Akbar,” an Arabic phrase meaning “God is greater,” before shooting at students inside Constant Hall.
The classroom was thrown into panic as students rushed for safety.
However, several ROTC students reportedly confronted the attacker and managed to subdue him, preventing what authorities believe could have resulted in far more casualties.
Reacting to the incident, Moore claimed the suspect had previously been imprisoned but was released before the attack despite alleged links to the extremist group.
“The radical Islamic terrorist who attacked Old Dominion yesterday was let out of prison early despite meeting with ISIL in Nigeria and seeking to aid and abet ISIL in carrying out an attack on our homeland,” Moore wrote.
The congressman criticised the circumstances surrounding the suspect’s release, describing the situation as deeply concerning.
He also announced plans to introduce legislation that would allow the government to strip citizenship from naturalised citizens involved in terrorism-related activities.
“This is insane, and it must end. That’s why I’m introducing a bill to denaturalise and deport any naturalised citizen who seeks to commit a terrorist attack or aids and abets terrorism against the American people,” Moore said.
