Illegal immigrant faces hate crime and terrorism charges in Chicago shooting of Jewish man

An illegal immigrant suspected of shooting one Jewish man several times on the way to a synagogue in Chicago, is now charged with terrorism and hate crimes in connection with the incident.

Chicago Police Chief Larry Snelling announced during a news conference Thursday that 22-year-old Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi has been charged with one felony count of terrorism and one felony count of hate crime.

“We want everyone to know that we will never tolerate violence based on hate and bigotry,” Snelling said. “This shooting is deeply personal for members of our Jewish community. We know that. But this shooting should be personal to everyone across the city.”

The new charges were in addition to the more than a dozen felony charges Abdallahi was already facing, including: six counts of attempted first-degree murder, seven counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm at a police officer or firefighter and one count of aggravated battery with a firearm.

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The numerous charges came after he attacked a 39-year-old Jewish man in Chicago's West Rogers Park neighborhood on October 26. The victim, an Orthodox Jewish man, wore a yarmulke as he walked to his synagogue.

Police said Abdallahi was identified less than 30 minutes after the shooting. At this point he is said to have shot at the emergency services before the police “returned fire and hit the perpetrator”.

REGARD:

Abdallahi is a Mauritanian illegal immigrant who was released into the United States last year, Fox News previously confirmed.

Four law enforcement sources said that Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi, a Mauritanian citizen, was arrested in the Border Patrol's San Diego sector in March 2023 and released into the United States

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had initially told Fox News Digital that there had been no interaction with him. According to law enforcement officials, there is a request for detainer in place for Abdallahi – a request that he be transferred to ICE custody if he is released – but the “sanctuary” policies in Cook County, Illinois, require local authorities to cooperate forbid.

ICE previously confirmed that he had an arrest warrant and that he was encountered by Border Patrol near San Ysidro, California on March 31, 2023.

Police are investigating a shooting on Saturday, October 26, in the West Ridge neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. (Fox32Chicago)

No police or firefighters were injured during the incident, but Abdallahi remains hospitalized.

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Investigators were unable to interview the suspect because of his injuries, Snelling said.

The victim, described by the Jewish United Fund as a “member of a Jewish community,” was reportedly shot in the shoulder in Chicago. (Fox32Chicago)

Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx said during the news conference that digital and forensic evidence suggested Abdallahi specifically targeted the Jewish community.

“Using the information from this digital evidence, we were able to determine that this individual was plotting against this particular community, was seeking out this particular community, was seeking this particular faith, and that the efforts to engage in this crime were not spontaneous.” , she said. “Back then, they weren’t just supposed to rattle, they were supposed to spread terror.”

To solve the case, investigators examined digital evidence, including evidence from his phone.

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“I want to make this clear to everyone in every community. We did not receive this indictment because of public pressure or media attention,” Snelling said. “Gathering evidence and facts takes time, and we must do it in a timely manner so that we do not hinder the possibility of prosecution. We will never do things based only on one belief. We need evidence.”

Fox News' Greg Norman and Adam Shaw contributed to this report.