Federal judge's reduced sentence for ISIS supporter resurfaces after fatal ROTC classroom attack in Virginia

"The horrific tragedy that occurred today on ODU's campus never should have happened," Rep. Jennifer Kiggans, R-Va., said.

Court records show Jalloh was arrested in 2016 for providing material support to ISIS. 

Federal prosecutors sought a 20-year prison sentence, but Senior U.S. District Judge Liam O'Grady sentenced him to 132 months - roughly 11 years. 

According to prosecutors, a now-deceased ISIS member overseas arranged contact between Jalloh and an individual he believed to be a fellow supporter but who was actually an FBI confidential human source. Investigators said Jalloh also traveled to Nigeria as part of the plot.

"The defendant was fully aware of what he was doing and the consequences of those actions. His only misgivings seemed to be a fear that he would waver at the critical moment," prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum obtained by The Associated Press.

O'Grady later handed down an 11-year sentence that included mental health treatment and substance abuse testing, according to the wire service, and Jalloh was released in 2024.

Jalloh's release also required he have no contact with any terrorist organizations and computer monitoring during probation.

"Jalloh was sentenced in 2017 to 132 months in prison for providing material support to ISIS. The [government] had asked for a sentence of 240 months, the statutory maximum," former federal prosecutor William Shipley wrote on X.

"The Judge who imposed the reduced sentence was Senior Judge Liam O'Grady, in the Eastern District of Virginia, a GWB appointee. Judge O'Grady announced he was taking Senior Status in June 2020 - right in the heart of the start of COVID, meaning there was no chance that Pres[ident] Trump would be able to get his replacement confirmed.

Giles, he said, controversially ruled in 2024 that Virginia had illegally purged noncitizens from the voter rolls too close to that year's election and ordered their restoration.

Asked whether the spate of recent attacks shows a resurgence of ISIS threats to the homeland or if previously lax immigration policies have played a role, a spokesperson for National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent pointed to recent comments he made after the Iran mission began:

"As the Iran conflict continues to unfold, ODNI's National Counterterrorism Center is engaged and operating at full capacity, 24/7. We are tracking developments in real time, assessing any potential risks to the homeland, identifying emerging threats and providing timely, actionable intelligence to the White House, law enforcement and interagency partners to detect and prevent attacks against the American people," Kent said.

Kent said counterterrorism officials are "acutely aware" and focused on eliminating "persistent" threats posed by thousands of people with terror ties who "poured into our nation unchecked during four years of open borders under Biden."

A DOJ spokesperson told Fox News Digital there are "no known or credible threats to the homeland" at this time and that federal agents are "maintaining a constant state of vigilance to keep Americans safe."

Fox News Digital reached out to ODNI, the FBI and O'Grady for comment.