By Staff Reporter |
Former State Rep. Travis Grantham suspended his congressional race after being called into active-duty service, the former speaker pro tempore announced on Wednesday.
Grantham, a lieutenant colonel in the Arizona Air National Guard, said he had “no idea” the length of his active-duty service.
“What I do know is that victory is the only acceptable outcome, so I will gladly do whatever is asked of me for however long it is needed,” said Grantham. “It is an honor to serve.”
Grantham planned to submit signatures to qualify for the ballot for the Republican primary in the fifth congressional district, the seat occupied currently by outgoing Rep. Andy Biggs, a gubernatorial candidate.
The U.S. and Israel launched a joint military campaign against Iran late last month, Operation Epic Fury. The first wave of attacks resulted in the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
So far, at least seven servicemembers have been killed in this new war launched by President Donald Trump. None of the slain were from Arizona.
Others have died at home over this new war, far from the Middle East.
Since this military campaign there have been what appear to be retaliatory terrorist attacks by Islamic individuals in the U.S.
The latest terrorist attack occurred on Thursday at Old Dominion University in Virginia. The gunman, a naturalized citizen from Sierra Leone named Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, was arrested in 2016 for attempting to help a designated foreign terrorist organization, the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL), coordinate a terrorist attack in the U.S. Jalloh also attempted to buy a gun as part of his plot to murder U.S. military personnel.
Jalloh faced a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; he was ultimately sentenced to 11 years in prison and five years’ supervised release in 2017.
However, Jalloh was released early from federal custody in the final month of the Trump administration in December 2024.
During Wednesday’s attack, Jalloh shouted “Allahu Akbar,” a call used by Islamic terrorists before committing their attacks.
One individual was killed in the attack: Army officer Brandon Shah, a military science professor and combat veteran. Jalloh was beaten to death by ROTC students shortly after he opened fire.
Another naturalized citizen-turned-terrorist also struck on Thursday in another state. Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a native of Lebanon, drove a truck into a synagogue. None were killed in the attack.
Last week, two terrorists targeted anti-Islam protesters and police officers with homemade explosive devices. One was thrown into a crowd protesting Islam outside the residence of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and the other was dropped amid a group of police officers. The two men, Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi, allegedly acted in support of ISIS. Both men were born to immigrant parents.
Balat wrote the following on a piece of paper after his detainment:
“All praise is due to Allah lord of all worlds! I pledge my allegiance to the Islamic State. Die in your rage you kuffar!”
“Kuffar” means “non-believers” or “infidels” in Arabic, and ISIS uses the phrase “die in your rage” as a slogan.
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