ROTC Students Kill Campus Shooter at Old Dominion University as Michigan Synagogue Attack Raises Terror Fears

Two acts of terror more than 700 miles apart shook American communities on Thursday, targeting a Virginia university and a Michigan synagogue in attacks that federal officials have linked to a broader threat environment tied to the ongoing war with Iran.

At Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, a convicted ISIS supporter opened fire inside a classroom of ROTC students before being subdued and killed by those same students. One person died — a beloved ROTC instructor — and two others were injured. Hours later, in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, a suspect drove a vehicle laden with explosives and a rifle into Temple Israel synagogue, setting the building ablaze in what officials called a targeted attack on the Jewish community.

Together, the attacks are part of a pattern of four violent incidents in recent weeks that the U.S. government has linked to a heightened threat environment since the onset of the war with Iran.

Old Dominion University: ROTC Students Stop an ISIS-Inspired Attack

The shooting at Old Dominion University began inside Constant Hall, where 36-year-old Mohamed Bailor Jalloh opened fire after shouting "Allahu Akbar." What followed was an act of remarkable student bravery: the ROTC students in the room did not flee. They confronted the shooter, subduing and killing him — with at least one student stabbing Jalloh in the struggle, according to multiple law enforcement sources. Jalloh's ultimate cause of death remains under investigation.

"Brave ROTC members in that room subdued him, and if not for them, I'm not sure what else he may have done," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Dominique Evans at a press conference Thursday.

The person killed was Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, identified by Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger as a devoted ROTC instructor. "He didn't just lead a life of service to our country," Spanberger said. "He taught and led others to follow that path." Two others were hospitalized with injuries.

Jalloh's background made him a known threat. A former combat engineer with the Virginia National Guard who served from 2009 to 2015, he was arrested in 2016 for attempting to provide material support to ISIS — trying to procure weapons for a planned attack and attempting to donate money to the group. Unbeknownst to Jalloh, he had been communicating with an FBI source throughout this period. He pleaded guilty in 2017 and was sentenced to 11 years in prison. He was released from federal custody in December 2024 — just 15 months before Thursday's attack.

Investigators believe Jalloh was inspired by the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, in which an Army psychiatrist killed 13 people and injured 32 others. The FBI said Jalloh appeared to have been ruminating on that attack since at least 2016, and Thursday's shooting took place during Ramadan — a timing that, according to an earlier FBI affidavit, Jalloh had once identified as preferable for a planned attack.

Old Dominion University President Brian Hemphill addressed the campus community Thursday. "Our campus and our community have been truly shaken and forever impacted by this senseless act of violence," he said, adding that classes at the main campus were canceled Thursday and Friday. Students had been just days from a week-long school break.

Temple Israel, Michigan: A Synagogue Targeted

Hours after the shooting in Norfolk, authorities responded to a vehicle-ramming and fire at Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield Township, a Detroit suburb. The suspect — identified by the Department of Homeland Security as 41-year-old Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a U.S. citizen born in Lebanon — drove a vehicle "all the way" into the synagogue while armed with a rifle and a large number of explosives, according to Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard. The building was engulfed in flames.

The attack had been anticipated. West Bloomfield Township police had warned area synagogues about potential threats in the two weeks prior, and the sheriff had been in direct contact with the temple's head of security as recently as two days before the attack. Multiple security officers were on site and engaged the suspect, ultimately stopping what officials said could have been "far worse." A security guard who was struck by the vehicle is expected to recover.

At least 30 law enforcement officers were later taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation after entering the building to search for additional threats.

Rabbi Arianna Gordon, the synagogue's director of education, described the moment the attack began: "We did hear the sound of shooting. We smelled smoke," she told CNN. Teachers kept children calm as congregants sheltered in place.

Authorities are investigating a possible motive that connects the attack to the U.S.-Iran war. Multiple law enforcement officials told CNN that Ghazali reportedly told people he had family members killed in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon in recent days. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said there is a clear "nexus" between the Iran war and the attack, and called it no coincidence that the target was a synagogue named Temple Israel.

The FBI mobilized more than 100 agents and analysts in response. Jennifer Runyan, special agent in charge of the FBI's Detroit field office, confirmed the investigation is treating the attack as targeting the Jewish community.

Jewish institutions across North America spend approximately $765 million per year on security, according to the Jewish Federations of North America — a figure that reflects years of escalating vigilance. The Anti-Defamation League has documented a rise in antisemitic incidents over the past four years in the United States.

A Broader Pattern — and a Heightened Threat Environment

The two Thursday attacks did not occur in isolation. Just days earlier, two suspects were accused of throwing makeshift bombs at a protest outside the New York City mayor's home in what authorities described as an ISIS-inspired attack. Less than two weeks before that, a shooter wearing a hoodie bearing the Iranian flag killed three people and injured over a dozen others in Austin, Texas' entertainment district — an attack whose motive authorities are still investigating, with some officials suggesting the shooter may have been inspired by U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.

Jeh Johnson, who served as Homeland Security secretary under President Obama, said the country is in a "heightened threat environment" since the onset of the war with Iran, calling Iran a "state sponsor of terrorism" and urging Americans to remain "vigilant."

What It Means for Campus and Campus-Adjacent Safety

For students and university communities, Thursday's events carry a specific weight. The Old Dominion shooting is a stark reminder that campuses — particularly those with ROTC programs, military connections, or proximity to military installations — can become targets in periods of heightened geopolitical tension. Norfolk, where ODU is located, is home to Naval Station Norfolk, the world's largest naval base.

That a classroom of ROTC students had the training, presence of mind, and courage to confront and stop the attacker before he could kill more people is both extraordinary and sobering. Their training is the reason one death did not become many.

For Jewish students on campuses across the country — where Hillel chapters and Jewish student organizations operate at hundreds of universities — the West Bloomfield attack reinforces what many have said for years: that antisemitic violence is not a relic of history, and that community vigilance and institutional security investment are not optional.

Anyone with information about Mohamed Bailor Jalloh or Thursday's ODU attack is encouraged to submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov.