JUST IN: Arrest Made In Connection With University Terrorist Attack

Federal investigators announced Friday that an individual had been taken into custody in connection with the Islamist terrorist attack on Old Dominion University, which killed Lieutenant Colonel Brandon Shah, a professor of Military Science and chief of the university’s Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program, and wounded two others.

The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday announced charges against Kenya Chapman, a man accused of illegally selling the handgun to the now deceased gunman, Mohamed Jollah. Chapman, whose age and background details remain limited in public records, faces federal charges for the unlawful transfer of a firearm to a prohibited person.

According to court documents, Chapman admitted to federal agents that he stole the gun from a vehicle in Newport News, Virginia, approximately one year prior to the shooting. He then sold it to Jalloh in the weeks leading up to the incident.

Chapman reportedly knew that Jalloh had previously served time in prison but claimed he was unaware of the specific felony conviction that barred Jalloh from gun ownership. Prosecutors are also weighing additional charges, as Chapman may have played a role in obstructing the firearm’s serial number.

Mohamed Jollah during his time with the National Guard

The shooting unfolded around 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, when Jollah reportedly entered a classroom and asked to speak with the ROTC instructor. He then yelled “Allahu akbar” before opening fire with a handgun. The attack claimed the life of Shah — a decorated veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — and left two others critically injured.

Jalloh was subdued and killed during the incident by ROTC cadets in the classroom. FBI officials have commended the students for their quick response, stating that their actions likely prevented additional casualties.

Jollah — a naturalized U.S. citizen by way of the West African nation of Sierra Leone — was a former specialist in the Virginia Army National Guard.

In 2016, at age 26, Jalloh pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State (ISIS, also known as ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization. According to a 2016 FBI affidavit, he quit the National Guard after being influenced by lectures from radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.

He then traveled to Africa, made contact with ISIS members in Nigeria, and attempted to join the group, including boarding a truck toward Libya before backing out. Jalloh discussed conducting a “Fort Hood-style” attack (referencing the 2009 shooting that killed 13 people) with an FBI informant during a three-month sting operation.

He attempted to donate $500 an FBI undercover agent he believed was an ISIS contact and tried to purchase an AR-15 assault rifle but was initially turned away due to paperwork issues. Jollah then purchased a different assault rifle, which was rendered inoperable by the store, and was arrested a day later.

The Justice Department sought a 20-year sentence, but U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady imposed 11 years. Jalloh was released from federal custody in December 2024 and was on supervised release at the time of the shooting.

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