MON SIX

A new March storm is getting underway, expected to bring a variety of weather impacts across the country.

Winter Storm Warnings stretch from Montana to Michigan, with a smattering of Blizzard Warnings across South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, and the upper peninsula of Michigan. Slivers of Illinois and Nebraska are under warnings as well.

Heavy snow and strong winds up to 60 mph possible, with the National Weather Service warning that travel will likely become impossible late Saturday and Sunday.

There are also wind alerts for over 100 million people, either under a wind advisory or high wind warning.

This storm will push into the Upper Midwest through Saturday evening and overnight Saturday. It will intensify as it does so, with snow turning heavy from Minneapolis on east into the Great Lakes region by Sunday morning.

Nearly 1,300 flights have been canceled already due to the weather. Approximately half of those cancellations are from Delta Airlines, as it proactively cancelled some flights for this weekend at Midwest airports, including at its Minneapolis-St. Paul hub.

Severe weather continues to churn as death toll from US storms reaches 8

Severe weather threat

On the southern side of the powerful system, a line of severe storms will develop from Michigan down to Texas Sunday afternoon into the night.

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An "Enhanced" risk (Level 3/5) has already been issued for parts of the Midwest on Sunday, from Indianapolis to just north of Memphis. Widespread damaging wind gusts will be the main threat although a few tornadoes will be possible along with large hail.

Chicago could go from thunderstorms on Sunday night to snow and whiteout conditions on Monday.

On Monday, the major storm will continue to move east. There will still be snow and wind across the Great Lakes and rounds of heavy rain and strong winds moving into the Northeast.

More severe weather will continue across the East Coast on Monday late afternoon into the evening from the Florida Panhandle up to Pennsylvania.

Married couple in their 80s dead after tornado strikes Indiana home

An "Enhanced" risk (level 3 of 5) has been issued for parts of the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland and southern Pennsylvania. This includes Columbia, South Carolina; Raleigh, North Carolina; Richmond, Virginia; Washington, D.C; Baltimore, Maryland; and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

The threats will be damaging winds, some large hail and a few tornadoes.

By the time snow winds down on Monday, a widespread swath of 3 to 6 inches of snow will be likely from Montana to the northern fringes of Upstate New York. The heaviest snow is expected from the Twin Cities east into the Great Lakes, where accumulations may be on the order of feet and not inches. Even areas not under the Blizzard Warning will be subject blowing snow and reduced visibility.

CAIRO (AP) — Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have so far remained on the sidelines as theIran war widensacross the Middle East, raising questions about why — and when the battle-hardened group mightjoin the fight.

APTOPIX Yemen Iran War

Iran has retaliated against the United States and Israel with missiles and drones, targetingAmerican military bases and other locations in Gulf Arab countries, disrupting trade routes, choking fuel supplies and threatening regional air traffic.

Iran's new supreme leader, AyatollahMojtaba Khamenei, suggested on Thursday in his first written statement since succeeding his father, who was killed in the war's opening salvo, that Iran may open upnew fronts in the conflict— a sign, analysts say, the Houthis may get involved soon.

Until now, the Houthis have been reluctant to fight, fearing assassinations of their leaders, internal divisions in Yemen and uncertainties over weapons supplies, the experts said.

But that may change as Iran seeks to increase pressure on global oil supply routes through potential attacks by the Houthis, who have had previous successtargeting oil facilitiesin the region, the analysts said.

Iran has asserted its influence across the Middle East through its proxy forces in Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen's Houthis.

Some of its closest allies have already joined the conflict, withHezbollah resuming strikes on Israelwithin two days of the attack on Iran — and just 15 months after the lastIsrael-Hezbollah warended in a November 2024 ceasefire. Militias linked to the Islamic Resistance in Iraq haveclaimed drone strikeson U.S. bases in Irbil.

Meanwhile, the Houthis have only held protests and issued declarations condemning the Iran war, in contrast to the waves of missile and drone attacks they launched on Israel and shipping in the Red Sea after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel sparked thewar in the Gaza Strip.

Here's a look at the Houthis' military capabilities and where they stand in the conflict.

Houthi ties to Iran

Armed by Iran, the Houthis seized most of Yemen's north and its capital, Sanaa, in 2014, pushing the country's internationally recognized government into exile. A Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen's government entered the conflict the following year, and the Houthis have since fought a long-running but largely stalemated civil war in Yemen.

While the Houthis share some political and religious ties with Iran, they follow a different doctrine of Shiite Islam and are independent of Iran's supreme leader, unlike the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group and several Iran-backed Iraqi militias.

Still, they are key to Iran's regional influence and the current war is unlikely to weaken that, according to Ahmed Nagi, a senior Yemen analyst at the International Crisis Group think tank.

"From Tehran's perspective, the Houthis have proven themselves to be a capable and effective front, able to generate real pressure," Nagi said.

He said the Houthi leaders' decision to distance themselves from the conflict is a calculated choice that has been fully coordinated with the Iranians.

Two Houthi members of the group's media and political offices told The Associated Press that the rebels' weapons stockpile is running low after its attacks during the Israel-Hamas war. The Iran war has further impeded the flow of weapons, said the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to talk to the media.

Still, the group has a large stockpile of drones, said another official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the weapons issue, about which he is well-informed.

Nagi said the Houthis appear to be building up their forces by recruiting more fighters, relying on local weapons production and sending reinforcements to Yemen's western coastline on the Red Sea, signaling they are preparing for escalation.

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"The decision is not about unwillingness to intervene, but about timing," Nagi said. "Iran's broader strategy seems to be to avoid throwing all its cards on the table at once, instead using its partners and capabilities gradually as the confrontation evolves."

The Houthis are likely to step in if the conflict widens, Nagi added, or if they perceive an existential threat to Iran, such as significant deterioration in military capabilities.

Houthis have targeted oil shipping and infrastructure

Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi has repeatedly emphasized the group is ready to intervene, claiming their "hands are on the trigger," though its unclear what that involvement would entail.

″Houthis, of course, are always ready for any war," said Farea al-Muslimi, a research fellow at the Chatham House think tank in London. "Some weaponry moved in different areas inside Yemen recently ... but it's still not clear whether it's for a military escalation."

If the Houthis enter the war, they will most likelyresume attacks on shipping in the Red Seaand the Gulf of Aden, while also striking Israel, Nagi said. They could also join Iran's attacks on Gulf countries, targeting U.S. military assets and interests.

Attacks on vessels during the Israel-Hamas war upendedshipping in the Red Sea, through which about $1 trillion worth of goods passed each year before the war. The rebels alsofired drones at Israel.

Should the Houthis join the Iran war, their primary targets would likely be oil tankers, the analysts said, since shipping offers the most immediate pressure point and attacking it would signal escalation while impacting energy supply chains.

Attacks on oil installations could also be considered. The Houthis have previouslystruck oil facilitiesin Saudi Arabia during their long-running conflict against the Saudi-led coalition.

Meanwhile, U.S. military sites in the region might also become targets, Nagi said.

What's at risk

Abdel-Bari Taher, a political analyst and former head of the press syndicate in Yemen, said any decision to join the war is impacted by the internal situation in Yemen, includingrecent deadly clashesin south Yemen, public opposition in Sanaa to joining the war and heightened caution among Houthi leaders afterhigh-profile assassinations.

The two Houthi officials from the group's media and political offices said the U.S. has sent warnings via Omani mediators against participating in the war. They said Houthi political and security leaders have also been alerted that their cellphones are under surveillance by the U.S. and Israel. Fearing potential Israeli assassinations, Houthi leaders have been instructed not to appear in public, the officials said.

″Despite these constraints and the complex domestic and regional dynamics, Houthi involvement in the conflict remains a possibility," Taher said.

Al-Muslimi, the Chatham House analyst, said the Houthis don't have the military capabilities or an internal Yemeni interest that would force them to join the war, and the group seems committed to aceasefire with the U.S. that was brokered by Omanlast year.

"They hope to fight, especially with Israel, but they can't be the ones to fire the first shot," al-Muslimi said.

He said the Houthis would likely need a local Yemeni cause to join the fighting — a reason that would strengthen support among their local base.

Notes al-Muslimi: The Houthis "are a local group that Iran uses and supports, but didn't create."

Associated Press journalist Ahmed al-Haj in Aden, Yemen, contributed to this report.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in comments released Sunday that he was ready for the next round of trilateral peace talks to end Russia's more than4-year-old invasion of Ukraine, but that it was up to Washington and Moscow to agree on where and when to meet.

APTOPIX Russia Ukraine War

Zelenskyy said the U.S. had proposed hosting the next meeting between American, Ukrainian and Russian negotiating teams, which include U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, but Moscow had refused to send a delegation.

"We are waiting for a response from the Americans. Either they will change the country where we meet, or the Russians must confirm the U.S," Zelenskyy said in a media briefing Saturday. "We are not blocking any of these initiatives. We want a trilateral meeting to take place."

The U.S. haspostponed its sponsored talksbetween the two sides due to the war in the Middle East. TheIran war, which erupted on Feb. 28 following U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and spread across the region, has drawn the international spotlight away from Ukraine's plight as it strives to hold back Russia's bigger army.

Speaking to journalists, Zelenskyy also warned of a "very high" risk that the Iran war could drain the air defense stockpiles Ukraine depends on to counter Russian missile strikes.

Zelenskyy said he lacked a clear picture of available stockpiles and had discussed with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Friday whether SAMP/T systems could serve as an alternative to U.S.-made Patriot batteries for intercepting ballistic missiles. He said Ukraine would be "first in line" to test any viable alternative.

He also appeared to push back against U.S. President Donald Trump's recent assertion that Washington has no need for Ukrainian drone technology.

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"No, we don't need their help on drone defense," Trump said in a Fox News Radio interview that aired Friday.

Zelenskyy said Washington had reached out to Ukraine "several times" to request assistance for a particular country or for support for Americans, without giving specifics. He said the requests had come from various U.S. military institutions to Ukraine's Ministry of Defense and other military leaders.

"All our institutions received these requests, and we responded to them," Zelenskyy said.

He said he had offered Washington a defense cooperation deal last year worth $35 billion–$50 billion that would have given the U.S. administration access to technology from roughly 200 Ukrainian drone, AI and electronic warfare firms, with half of all production earmarked for partners, primarily the U.S.

According to the Ukrainian leader, American military officials had expressed strong interest in the proposal, and Trump himself had indicated he was receptive.

"We received a message from them, and directly from the president as well, that they are interested," Zelenskyy told reporters. "We did not sign the document with President Trump. I do not have an answer as to why. Perhaps it will happen later, but I am not sure."

Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine athttps://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

PAGE, Arizona ‒ In the middle of the desert sits a sign: "Caution docks may be slippery."

They are not.

In fact, there's not a drop of water to be seen atAntelope Point Marina, which once sat near the shore of Lake Powell, the nation's second-largest reservoir. The sparkling Colorado River now laps at the Glen Canyon walls about 180 feet below, completely invisible from a dock that once floated atop the water.

Lake Powell water levels falling

Instead of reflecting the bright blue Arizona sky near the Four Corners region of the Southwest, the lake's water level reflects the dire reality that the Colorado River is running out of water. And the dock with the sign dangles off a 100-foot cliff, waiting for a refill that climatologists say will likely never come.

"Things are really, really rough on the Colorado River. It's ugly," said Eric Balken, the executive director of theGlen Canyon Institute. "Everybody is at a place right now where we're all asking, 'what the heck happens now? What are we doing?'"

Now, a public lands access group has proposed an eye-poppingly ambitious plan to build eight massive desalination plants off the California coastline, turning ocean water into fresh for farming, and reducing demand on the ailing Colorado River. To meet the energy demand, the plants might have to be powered with nuclear reactors.

Although desalination plants are widely used in the Middle East, they consume huge amounts of electricity to generate a relatively small amount of water. No country has ever tried something on this scale before.

The Colorado River basin ‒ and the seven states that depend on the river for water ‒ is facing significant shortfalls this summer following an unusually hot and dry winter. The plan's authors at the Idaho-based BlueRibbon Coalition say their $40 billion proposal offers a viable long-term solution at a time when PresidentDonald Trumpis slashing environment-based regulatory delays and encouraging the country to think big.

"At some point we're going to hit a hard reality there's no more water in the Colorado River," said Ben Burr, the coalition's executive director. "You can only squeeze so much more juice out of it."

Some critics say the plan is both utterly unaffordable and potentially catastrophic for the environment.

The BlueRibbon Coalition is undeterred, deliberately invoking the massive federal efforts that built theGlen CanyonandHoover damsand filled Lake Powell and Lake Mead with Colorado River water. Those reservoir projects allowed the United States to flourish in Arizona, Nevada and California, supercharging economic growth, powering cities and turning dusty desert into fertile farmland.

The group's plan is the newest ambitious idea to solve western water woes. Other proposals floated over the decades included towing icebergs from Alaska or Antarctica, diverting rivers from the rainy Pacific Northwest or even piping Great Lakes water thousands of miles west across the Continental Divide.

Peter Goble, the assistant state climatologist for Colorado, said the ongoing drought is increasing pressure on western states to find a solution. The West is warming faster than the country overall, which ultimately means even less water available for farmers, businesses and residents, he said.

"There's no way to look at the numbers and think the Colorado River is doing well right now," Goble said. "In a world that's warmer, all signs point to droughts that will be more intense and more frequent."

Drought, squabbles among states threaten river's future

Seven states ‒ Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming ‒ collaboratively manage and use the Colorado River.

But the amount of water flowing downstream has been dropping due to a long-term drought at the same time, causing squabbles among the states over who gets how much for farming, drinking and industrial uses. And a certain amount of water must constantly flow out of the two dams so they can produce power for millions of households and businesses. Mexico and Native American tribes also have water-use rights and have a say in the management.

Although it's at the end of the river, California legally has the right to use more water than any of the other states, primarily to grow alfalfa to feed cattle. And although he has not endorsed this specific plan, California Gov. Gavin Newsom in a Feb. 11 letter to fellow Colorado River governors suggested that desalination and other "advanced technologies" may ultimately be necessary. Newsom's office did not respond to a request for comment specifically on the BlueRibbon plan.

"We welcome shared investments in infrastructure, from water reuse to desalination, that can reduce pressure on precious water supplies in Lake Powell and Lake Mead," Newsom wrote. "Our reality is clear. We need to manage with less rain and snow to provide water for our communities and farms each year. It is a shared reality that requires a shared solution."

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Burr said the plants could generate 7 million acre-feet of water. An acre foot of water, which is 325,851 gallons, is equivalent to about what two or three U.S. homes use annually. In comparison, growing a single acre of alfalfa consumes as much as 6 acre-feet of water each year, according to University of Arizona's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

What's in the $40 billion plan?

The BlueRibbon plan envisions:

• Eight large desalination plants off the coast of California and Mexico, powered potentially by small nuclear generators of the kind championed by the White House. Electricity could also come from solar or wind farms, although President Donald Trump has repeatedly tried to kill such projects. Building the plants would cost about $40 billion, Burr estimated.

• The plants would potentially be built in the Sea of Cortez and in federal enclaves on California's Pacific coast. Doing so would limit environmental roadblocks, speeding their construction. Desalination plants work by removing salt from ocean water, creating extra-salty water that would have to be diluted before being dumped back into the ocean, otherwise it might be toxic to aquatic life.

• Fresh water would be pumped at least 100 miles inland to reach California's Imperial Valley, a vast desert that today is irrigated with Colorado River water to grow crops from alfalfa to lettuce and onions. The "new" water would allow California to give up some of its Colorado River allocations to other states to use.

Burr said he believes the plan, which could be privately or publicly funded, is being offered at the right time. He said the pendulum against over-regulation and environmentalism is swinging back in favor of ordinary Americans and business owners, and against the environmental groups that would otherwise have prevented the construction of Lake Powell or Lake Mead.

The BlueRibbon group's supporters include companies that would benefit from increased water levels in Lake Powell, and that have fought to maintain higher water levels.

"I think you're seeing that we're realizing as a country we have to be building real infrastructure and not just jobs programs for environmental lawyers," Burr said. "We need a new real water system."

Throwing seawater at the problem: 'That's just crazy,' one expert warns

Aaron Weiss, the deputy director of the Denver-based Center for Western Priorities, considers the BlueRibbon plan laughable. The center advocates for increased land and water conservation across the West, but is nonpartisan.

Weiss said the infrastructure necessary to move fresh water from the coast back uphill for farmers would bestaggeringly expensive, likely adding tens of billons of dollars to the overall cost.

"Their solution to the problem is throw seawater at it. And that's just crazy," Weiss said. "No one has ever considered desalinating water on this scale. It's not audacious. It's just stupid. Just based on what we know that it costs to desalinate water and move water, there's no way $40 billion is anywhere close to the actual price tag."

Among other countries, Israel depends heavily on desalination to meet its drinking and farm water needs. But that also consumes about 5% of thecountry's overall electricity, according to a study by Tel Aviv University.

Weiss said there's also significant uncertainty on how the desalination plants would handle the extra-salty water created by the process. Israel's plantsmix that water back into the Mediterranean, where it's diluted enough to not endanger aquatic life.

Like Burr, Weiss said the low snowpack levels across the West this winter are putting pressure on states to find some kind of solution. During the Biden presidency, the federal government paid farmers billions of dollars to stop growing crops like alfalfa, freeing up water for other uses. That funding was temporary, however, and the Trump administration has been pushing states to find a longer-term solution.

Federal forecasters are warning this could be one of the worst years on record for Lake Powell water levels, due to the poor snowpack and warm winter. As of mid-March, the lake's surface stood at 3,529 feet above sea level, down from 3,587 feet in 2024, its most recent high. Some forecasters worry the lake could lose so much water this year that it will reach what's known as "power pool," the minimum level necessary to continue generating hydroelectricity.

The lake reached its highest-ever level of 3,708 feet above sea level in 1983, and has never been full since. A white "bathtub ring" remains visible from that high-water mark.

Forcing farmers to use less water could raise food costs for Americans, although some environmental groups say the solution is to grow less alfalfa, which is often sold to China, Japan and Saudia Arabia for their herds, according to the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources service. Burr said it's silly to pay farmers not to grow crops - wouldn't that money be better spent creating more water to use? he asked.

Weiss, however, said conservation is the fastest, easiest way to reduce water use. He said the BlueRibbon plan would take decades to complete ‒ and the Colorado River is in crisis now.

"At the end of the day, basic physics takes over," Weiss said. "Our only solution is to conserve our way out of this aggressively."

Balken, who runs the Glen Canyon Institute, has been pushing a plan to completely remove the 710-foot-tall Glen Canyon dam, or at least modify it so all the water in Lake Powell can flow downstream into Lake Mead. The institute ultimately wants to see the Colorado River returned to its natural state through the Glen Canyon.

"Given the low snowpack and given the heatwave that's about to zap the snowpack, we're probably looking at one of the worst runoffs in history, at one of the worst times. It's almost certain we will see some sort of crash soon at Lake Powell," Balken said. "This may be unprecedented, but it is the most predictable disaster of all time. We have known this moment has been coming for 20 years."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Colorado River water crisis and a $40B plan to solve it

Let the March Madness begin. The2026 Women's NCAA Tournamentstarts this week.

Tipping off the action will be a doubleheader of the Women's First Four games on March 18. Following the completion of those games, the 68-team field is reduced to 66 teams. The 64-team bracket will be finalized on March 19, after the two remaining women's First Four games.

Star players such asUConn's Azzi Fudd,UCLA's Lauren BettsandLSU's Flau'jae Johnsonwon't hit the floor until the first round later in the week.

Here's what you need to know for women's March Madness, including the start date, schedule, times and more:

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When does women's March Madness start?

• First Four: Wednesday, March 18

• First round: Friday, March 20

The women's First Four is the technical start of the women's NCAA Tournament, with eight teams participating in the play-in games across two days to determine the final 64-team field.

Once the bracket has been reduced from 68 teams to 64, the first round will begin on Friday, March 20. Tipoff times will be staggered throughout the day.

Women's March Madness schedule

Below are all the dates for the 2026 women's NCAA Tournament:

• First Four: Wednesday, March 18 through Thursday, March 19

• First Round: Friday, March 20 through Saturday, March 21

• Second Round: Sunday, March 22 through Monday, March 23

• Sweet 16: Friday, March 27 through Saturday, March 29

• Elite Eight: Sunday, March 29 through Monday, March 30

• Final Four: Friday, April 3

• National championship: Sunday, April 5

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:When is women's March Madness? Dates, schedule, for NCAA Tournament

In just a few hours, some of the biggest stars across film and more will descend on Hollywood Boulevard for the2026 Oscars.

Hosted byConan O'Brienfor the second year in a row, the 98th Academy Awards will take place tonight at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.

This year's ceremony will celebratefilmsfrom the past year, including "Hamnet," "Marty Supreme," "Sinners" and more.

Read below for everything you need to know about how to watch the 2026 Oscars.

How to watch the 2026 Oscars?

You can watch the Oscars ceremony for free over-the-air on your local ABC station.

This year's ceremony is also be available to stream on Hulu for the first time.

What time does the 2026 Oscars ceremony start?

The 98th Oscars will commence at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

What time does the Oscars red carpet start?

Leading up to the Oscars ceremony, make sure to watch "On the Red Carpet at the Oscars" as the nominees arrive at the Dolby Theatre.

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Road to the 2026 Oscars: What to know about the 98th Academy Awards

The pre-show, which will include Linsey Davis, Whit Johnson, Lara Spencer, Chris Connelly and more, will be available starting at 3:30 PM ET on ABC and available to stream on ABC News Live.

How to watch red carpet arrivals?

You can watch all the stars arrive in ABC News' red carpet coverage prior to the show.

How to stay updated on Oscars night?

For all of the night's biggest moments, we'll be sharing updates throughout the night onGoodMorningAmerica.comandABCNews.com.

What else to know ahead of the 98th Oscars?

Check out our detailed guide on who's presenting,nominatedand morehere.

Oscars 2026: How to watch the best picture nominees

Also, clickhereto see how to watch all the year's top projects.

Disney is the parent company of Hulu, ABC News and "Good Morning America."

In a grim pattern that has become all too familiar, another campus has been shattered by gunfire, this time atOld Dominion University in Virginia, where an attacker cloaked violence in the language of religion.

Federal authorities are investigatingThursday's shootingat Old Dominion University as an act of terrorism after identifying the gunman as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, 36, a former member of the Virginia National Guard who previously served prison time for attempting to aid the terrorist group ISIS.

Devoted ROTC instructor Lt. Col. Brandon Shah,a father and husband, was killed in the attack. Two others were hospitalized with injuries, university police Chief Garrett Shelton said, noting all three victims were affiliated with the university.

Federal investigators say they are still piecing together the events leading up to the attack and what led Jalloh to carry out the shooting.

The case has drawn renewed scrutiny to Jalloh's past, including a terrorism conviction nearly a decade ago that followed an investigation officials said kept them "up at night," as well as the circumstances surrounding his early release from prison.

During the earlier investigation before his stint in prison, investigators were made aware that Jalloh had expressed admiration for the2009 Fort Hood shootingrampage, when Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan killed 13 people and wounded dozens at a Texas military base.

Here's what we know about Jalloh.

A former National Guard member with a terrorism conviction

Jalloh, a naturalized US citizenborn in Sierra Leone, served as a combat engineer in the Virginia National Guard between 2009 and 2015, according to a US Army official.

During a 2016 investigation, authorities learned he had begun consuming online lectures from a deceased Al-Qaeda leader and ultimately decided not to reenlist after leaving the Guard.

That same year, federal prosecutors said Jalloh attempted to assist ISIS. He sought to obtain weapons he believed would be used in an attack carried out in the group's name and also tried to send money to the terrorist organization, according to the Department of Justice.

Unbeknownst to him, the person he was communicating with was an FBI source who was monitoring his behavior.

In 2016, Jalloh initially attempted to purchase an AR-15-style rifle from a gun shop in Virginia but was denied because he did not have the required documentation, according to the affidavit.

Authorities say he came back later the same day and purchased a different rifle, but the weapon had been disabled before he left the store. He was taken into custody the next day.

In conversations with the source, court documents say Jalloh had discussed potential timelines for an attack on US soil and "expressed that it was better to plan an operation for Ramadan," according to a FBI affidavit filed in his criminal case.

Ramadan is one of the holiest periods in Islam, a month dedicated to fasting, prayer, reflection and spiritual renewal. The faith's teachings emphasize compassion, patience and restraint, including refraining from anger and cruelty, values meant to be practiced even more deeply during Ramadan.

Central to Islamic doctrine is the prohibition against taking innocent life, a principle that stands in direct contrast to acts of violence sometimes erroneously carried out in its name.

An earlier plot and its echoes in the ODU attack

Jalloh pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and was sentenced to11 years in prisonand five years of supervised release in 2017.

Jalloh was serving his sentence at a low-security federal facility in Allenwood, Pennsylvania, before being moved in August 2024 to a residential reentry center, commonly known as a halfway house, in the Baltimore area, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

He was released from federal custody in December 2024 — about two-and-a-half years before the end of his sentence.

His release came through a federal provision that allows some inmates to receive early release after completing a substance abuse treatment program, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Jalloh said in 2016 he had been thinking about carrying out an attack similar to the 2009 Fort Hood massacre, authorities said.

Officials believe that fixation may have carried over into Thursday's shooting, which targeted an ROTC gathering that included both active-duty military personnel and students training for service, according to FBI Special Agent in Charge Dominique Evans.

Jalloh's earlier case drew particular concern among investigators and experts.

In the book "Homegrown: ISIS in America," terrorism researcher Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens devoted an entire section to Jalloh's 2016 case. When news of the attack broke, Meleagrou-Hitchens said he was stunned.

"As far as I knew, he was still in jail," he told CNN, adding the news raised serious questions about how authorities manage individuals convicted of supporting terrorist organizations once they are released.

Meleagrou-Hitchens said several factors made Jalloh particularly concerning to investigators at the time. Among them were his military training, his travel to Sierra Leone after leaving the Guard where he attempted to make contact with ISIS-linked militants in Nigeria, and his communication with an ISIS "virtual plotter."

These online operatives, based in territory once controlled by ISIS, sought out supporters in Western countries and helped guide potential attacks from afar.

Jalloh's ambitions at the time, Meleagrou-Hitchens told CNN, appeared to mirror the scale of the Fort Hood massacre.

Special agents in charge of Jalloh's case in 2016 said of the multitude of cases they investigated over years, this was the one that "kept them up at night," Meleagrou-Hitchens wrote in his book.

Inmates with terrorism-related convictions are no longer eligible for early release under a new 2025 provision, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Bureau director William Marshall implemented the change on September 25, 2025, under a Trump-era executive order, ensuring inmates with terrorism related charges will no longer qualify for early release under the prior federal provision.

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Life after prison

After his release from prison in December 2024, Jalloh is believed to have lived with family in Sterling, Virginia. He was taking online classes at Old Dominion University after his release from prison, court records show.

Court documents say he remained under court-mandated probation at the time of the shooting, though a probation officer visited the home he shared with his sister only twice a year. The most recent visit occurred in November 2025.

It is unclear if Jalloh exhibited any warning signs that might have emerged during the roughly year he spent outside prison before the attack.

Reporting from the neighborhood where he may have lived painted a picture of a relatively quiet household.

Multiple generations live in the upscale three-level red-brick townhouse, according to neighbors. They said the family is known to host at least one large gathering a year, often with loud music.

A sign posted on Jalloh's family's front door read, "We do not wish to speak to the press!"

After CNN knocked on the door, a middle-aged man answered and reiterated the family did not want to speak to reporters.

"We really don't want to speak to the media. Please understand we're going through a very tough time," he said.

He did not confirm whether Jalloh lived there.

Neighbors told reporters the family largely kept to themselves.

Kenneth Brown, who lives in the neighborhood, told CNN he would occasionally see Jalloh walking around the area.

"He would look down and not acknowledge you," Brown said.

How the attack at Old Dominion unfolded

Authorities say the violence unfolded late Thursday morning inside Constant Hall, the main building for Old Dominion University's College of Business.

Old Dominion, a public university with about 24,000 students, is located in Norfolk, Virginia, roughly 200 miles southeast of Washington, DC.

Investigators say Jalloh entered a class or meeting attended by ROTC students and active-duty service members at the university.

He asked people in the room twice to confirm it was an ROTC event, according to court documents.

Moments later, authorities say he shouted "Allahu Akbar," an Arabic phrase meaning "God is greatest," and opened fire.

The phrase "Allahu Akbar" is a central expression in Islam and is recited many times during Muslims' five daily prayers. It is commonly used by Muslims around the world in everyday life to praise God in moments of gratitude, joy and celebration, such as hearing good news or marking milestones and also in times of hardship as a reminder that faith is greater than any challenge.

Religious scholars and community leaders have long noted that extremist groups have at times misappropriated the phrase during acts of violence, a use that stands in stark contrast to its deeply spiritual meaning within the faith.

When Jalloh began shooting, the group of students in the room quickly reacted, rushing the attacker and managing to subdue him, Evans said.

"Brave ROTC members in that room subdued him, and if not for them, I'm not sure what else he may have done," Evans said.

One of the students stabbed Jalloh, according to multiple law enforcement sources briefed on the case. The attacker's ultimate cause of death is unclear.

Police said the first calls reporting the shooting came in at 10:43 a.m. Officers arrived four minutes later, and by 10:50 a.m., authorities determined the attacker was dead.

Old Dominion student Zachary Mulder said he had just left a class in Constant Hall and was reading in another building when people suddenly rushed in yelling there was a shooter.

"My heart dropped," Mulder toldCNN affiliate WTKR. "I didn't really know what was going on. I just knew I had to leave immediately."

Investigators later said the firearm used in Thursday's attack had been purchased illegally. Prosecutors say the person who sold the weapon told authorities that Jalloh claimed he needed it for protection while working as a delivery driver.

Kenya Mcchell Chapman was arrested Friday inconnection to his sale of a pistolto Jalloh.

A cellphone recovered near Jalloh's body allowed law enforcement to retrace his recent movements, according to court filings. Investigators say he repeatedly traveled between several locations in Virginia in the days leading up to the attack, including his home, the university campus, another residence and an Islamic center.

CNN's Emma Tucker, Elizabeth Wolfe, Hannah Rabinowitz, Holmes Lybrand and Rebekah Riess contributed to this report.

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