A former US National Guard member who shot dead a man at a university in the state of Virginia was previously jailed for attempting to aid the Islamic State group, authorities have said.
The assailant died in the incident yesterday, which wounded two others, on the campus of Old Dominion University south of the US capital Washington.
The FBI said it was investigating the shooting as "an act of terrorism".
Authorities identified the suspect as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a former member of the National Guard who pleaded guilty in 2016 to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State group.
"The shooter is now deceased thanks to a group of brave students who stepped in and subdued him - actions that undoubtedly saved lives along with the quick response of law enforcement," FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement posted on X.
"The FBI is now investigating the shooting as an act of terrorism."
Jalloh was sentenced to prison in 2017 and released in 2024.
Special Agent Dominique Evans of the FBI's Norfolk field office told reporters that the suspect shouted "Allahu akbar" ("God is the greatest") before the attack.
The suspect "wanted to conduct a terrorist attack, similar to that in Fort Hood, Texas," Ms Evans said, referring to a 2009 mass shooting carried out by a US Army psychiatrist who killed 13 people and injured more than 30 others.
That shooter, Nidal Hasan, had reportedly exhibited signs of radicalization, and he too shouted "Allahu akbar" before beginning his killing spree.
Ms Evans said the suspect at Old Dominion made no mention of Iran, the country currently at war with the United States and Israel, during his attack.
All three shooting victims were members of ROTC, the college-based Reserve Officers' Training Corps that trains students to become commissioned officers in the US military.
Earlier today, an armed individual opened fire at Old Dominion University, leaving one person dead and two others wounded. The shooter is now deceased thanks to a group of brave students who stepped in and subdued him – actions that undoubtedly saved lives along with the quick…
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) March 12, 2026
Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger identified the victim who died as Lt Col Brandon Shah.
She said Mr Shah was a Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) instructor.
"Lt Col Shah didn't just lead a life of service to our country, he taught and led others to follow that path," Ms Spanberger wrote on X.
Ms Evans did not say whether the victims were targeted because they were part of ROTC, but hailed students for their rapid response.
"There were students that were in that room that subdued him and rendered him no longer alive," she said, noting the suspect was not shot. She did not provide details on how he died.
"The brave ROTC members in that room subdued him and if not for them I'm not sure what else he may have done," she said.
Old Dominion University said in a statement that police and emergency personnel "responded immediately" to the attack and that "the gunman is now deceased."
School shootings are a regular occurrence in the United States, where guns outnumber people and regulations on purchasing even powerful military-style rifles are lax.
Michigan synagogue attack 'targeted act of violence against the Jewish community' - FBI
The attack in Virginia came on the same day a man was shot dead after he crashed his truck into a Michigan synagogue and its preschool.
In the suburban Detroit township of West Bloomfield, authorities credited quick action by well-trained synagogue security personnel for preventing any loss of life at Temple Israel and its daycare center other than that of the attacker.
One security officer was struck by the suspect's vehicle and knocked briefly unconscious, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard told reporters.
All 140 children were safely evacuated from the preschool and accounted for, the synagogue said.
But 30 law enforcement officers were taken to hospital suffering from inhalation of smoke that filled the synagogue from a fire of undetermined origin that erupted when the suspect's truck plowed into the building, Mr Bouchard said.
"What happens around the world sometimes affects us, so we have to prepare for it," Mr Bouchard said, adding that a precise motive for the attack remained to be determined.
The FBI said it was leading the investigation of what special agent Jennifer Runyan called a "targeted act of violence against the Jewish community."
The suspect, who was not immediately identified, crashed his truck through the doors of the synagogue and drove the vehicle down a hallway before a security officer fired at him, according to Mr Bouchard.
The attacker was killed during the confrontation.
Authorities said it was not immediately clear whether he took his own life or was shot dead by security personnel.
