U.S. lawmaker, Riley Moore, has expressed frustration over the early release of Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, who attacked Old Dominion University, killing one and injuring two others, despite evidence linking him with ties to a terrorist group in Nigeria.
On Friday, Mr Moore reacted to Mr Jalloh’s attack on Old Dominion University on Thursday in a statement on his X page.
The American lawmaker cited a Department of Justice document sentencing Mr Jalloh to 11 years in prison for providing material support for Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organisation, in 2017.
“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,” Mr Moore said.
The American lawmaker said the release of naturalised U.S. citizens who have ties with terrorists must stop, stating that he was introducing a bill to denaturalise and deport anyone who support terrorism on American soil.
“This is insane and it MUST END! That’s why I’m introducing a bill to denaturalize and deport any naturalized citizen who seeks to commit a terrorist attack or aids and abets terrorism against the American people,” Mr Moore said.
The DoJ document Mr Moore cited stated that Mr “Jalloh had recently taken a six-month trip to Africa where he had met with ISIL members in Nigeria and first began communicating online with the ISIL member who later brokered his introduction to the CHS. During their meeting, Jalloh also told the CHS he thought about conducting an attack all the time, and that he was close to doing so at one point.”
On Thursday, Mr Jalloh breached Old Dominion University, opening fire and killing one. Two persons were also injured in the attack before he was overpowered.
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Thursday stated that Mr Jalloh, shouted “Allahu Akbar” before opening fire at the Old Dominion University.
“I can tell you that prior to him conducting this act of terrorism, he shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ and he was formally a subject of FBI investigation on material support for terrorism,” an FBI spokesperson, Dominique Evans, said at a press conference on Thursday.
