Hate crime, terrorism charges filed in case of Orthodox Jewish man shot while on his way to synagogue in Chicago

Hate crime and terrorism charges have been filed in the case of an Orthodox Jewish man who was shot while on his way to synagogue in Chicago last weekend.

The new felony charges against the suspect — Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi, 22 — were announced Thursday and stem from what police are now calling a "targeted" attack, WMAQ-TV reported.

'We did not secure these charges because of public pressure or because of media attention.'

Police Supt. Larry Snelling said detectives found "digital evidence" on Abdallahi's phone that "indicated he planned the shooting and specifically targeted people of Jewish faith," the station said.

Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx added that the attacker "sought out this particular community, sought out this particular faith," WMAQ noted.

After Saturday morning's shooting, prominent members of Chicago's Jewish community were outraged that hate crime charges weren't brought against Abdallahi, particularly because the shooting victim reportedly was wearing a kippah — the Jewish skullcap — when he was attacked.

City Alderman Debra Silverstein — who attends the same synagogue as the shooting victim — earlier this week said in a message to constituents that she was "very disappointed" that hate crime charges had not been filed despite "evidence that seems to suggest an anti-Semitic motive for the shooting."

The Jewish United Fund, an advocacy group, said Chicago police indicated during a Monday meeting with the group that Abdallahi shouted "Allahu Akbar" during a shoot-out with cops that occurred about a half-hour after the Orthodox Jewish man was shot.

WMAQ reported in a separate story that the JUF said police who met with its members indicated Abdallahi shouted the well-known Muslim declaration while firing at officers, which led to a concern that hate played a role in the incident. However, WMAQ said police haven't confirmed those details to the station.

In addition, Abdallahi reportedly is an illegal immigrant from Mauritania — a majority-Muslim country in northwest Africa. Fox News, citing four law enforcement sources, said he was released into the United States after being captured in Border Patrol’s San Diego Sector in March 2023.

Fox News noted that the Department of Homeland Security considers illegal immigrants from Mauritania as "special interest aliens" due to security concerns and that they're supposed to receive additional DHS vetting.

More from the cable network:

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had initially told Fox News Digital that it had no interaction with him. Law enforcement sources say that there is detainer request on Abdallahi — a request that he is transferred to ICE custody in the event of his release — but that "sanctuary" policies in Cook County, Illinois, prohibit local authorities from cooperating with it.

Previously Snelling said there wasn't enough evidence to charge Abdallahi with a hate crime.

"We do investigations [that are] based on facts that we gather into evidence in order to present charges," Snelling said earlier this week, according to WMAQ. "Until we have those facts, we will not announce charges. It's about what we can prove at the time based on the facts."

After Snelling announced the hate crime and terrorism charges Thursday, WMAQ noted that he insisted "we did not secure these charges because of public pressure or because of media attention. We will never go out in public, make statements, allegations, accusations or attempt to bring charges without any proof of what we're attempting to charge someone for. Gathering evidence and facts takes time, and we have to do it in a timely fashion so that we don't impede the possibility of getting charges. ... We will never do things just on belief. We need proof."

Snelling told WMAQ that Abdallahi remains hospitalized and detectives haven't been able to interview him, which has made it difficult to determine a motive.

Abdallahi's court appearance earlier this week was postponed due to his hospitalization, WMAQ said. His next scheduled court date is Nov. 7, officials told the station, adding that a public defender has been assigned to him.

Police said that evidence indicates the gunman was "working alone" and they don't believe there are any additional suspects, WMAQ added.

What's the background?

Chicago police said Abdallahi was identified as the offender who shot the 39-year-old man in the 2600 block of West Farwell Avenue around 9:30 a.m. Saturday. At a Monday news conference, Snelling said the suspect shot the victim "in the shoulder without saying a word," according to NBC News, which added that the victim was treated in a hospital and discharged Saturday afternoon.

Police said about 30 minutes after the first shooting, Abdallahi fired at responding officers and paramedics multiple times from various locations. Police said officers returned fire, striking the offender, who was placed into custody, taken to an area hospital, and charged. Police said a weapon was recovered at the scene. Police said no officers or fire department members were injured. The suspect was in critical condition, investigators told WGN-TV.

Abdallahi was charged with six counts of first-degree attempted murder, seven counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm upon a police officer/firefighter, and one count of aggravated battery/discharge of a firearm, all of which are felonies, police said.

You can view video here apparently showing part of the suspect's second wave of gunfire, and he hollers something at the 43-second mark after firing a shot. While that same moment is included in WLS-TV's video report at the 13-second mark, the station cuts the audio just before the suspect's outburst.

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability said an investigation into the incident captured the scene on body cameras, WMAQ noted, adding that the video is expected to be released within 60 days of the shooting.

You can view a video report here about the newly added hate crime and terrorism charges against Abdallahi.

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