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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Suspect accused of shooting Orthodox Jewish man who was on his way to synagogue is an illegal immigrant: Report



The suspect accused of shooting an Orthodox Jewish man who was on his way to synagogue in Chicago last weekend is an illegal immigrant, Fox News reported.

The shooting suspect — 22-year-old Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi — is a Mauritanian national who was released into the United States after being captured in Border Patrol’s San Diego Sector in March 2023, the cable network said, citing four law enforcement sources.

A Jewish advocacy group said Chicago police indicated during a Monday meeting with the group that Abdallahi shouted 'Allahu Akbar' during a later shoot-out with cops, WMAQ-TV reported.

Fox News noted that the Department of Homeland Security views illegal immigrants from Mauritania — a majority Muslim country in northwest Africa — as "special interest aliens" over security concerns and that they're supposed to receive additional DHS vetting.

More from Fox News:

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.

What's the background?

Chicago police said Abdallahi was identified as the offender who shot a 39-year-old man in the 2600 block of West Farwell Avenue around 9:30 a.m. Saturday. NBC News reported that the victim is Jewish and was wearing a kippah — the Jewish skullcap — while on his way to services on the Jewish sabbath.

A Jewish advocacy group said Chicago police indicated during a Monday meeting with the group that Abdallahi shouted "Allahu Akbar" during a later shoot-out with cops, WMAQ-TV reported.

The station noted that the group — the Jewish United Fund — said police who met with its members indicated that 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.

Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling on Tuesday said there wasn't enough evidence to charge Abdallahi with a hate crime due to the suspect still being in the hospital in the wake of the shoot-out, the station said.

"We do investigations [that are] based on facts that we gather into evidence in order to present charges," Snelling said, 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."

The suspect shot the victim "in the shoulder without saying a word," Snelling said at a Monday news conference, 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.

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.

'What will it take for you to acknowledge the Jewish community?'

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.

City Alderman Debra Silverstein — who attends the same synagogue as the Jewish man who was shot — said at the same news conference Monday that there's increased fear among local Jews, NBC News noted.

"A man wearing the kippah as he walked to synagogue was shot, and this has just escalated our anxieties," she said, according to the news network, which added that Silverstein in a later message to constituents wrote that she's "very disappointed" that hate crime charges had not been filed despite "evidence that seems to suggest an anti-Semitic motive for the shooting."

Silverstein told CBS News she visited the victim Saturday night after his hospital release and noted that he's doing "OK."

Rabbi Shlomo Soroka of Agudath Israel of Illinois told WMAQ-TV in regard to the lack of hate crime charges that "there’s no question that from an emotional standpoint, it’s disappointing. But I think it’s equally important to understand that whether or not there is a hate crime charge, that’s a technicality. That doesn’t change the reality of our experience.”

Soroka added to WFLD-TV that the victim — described as an Orthodox Jew — took his "little girls with him" to synagogue "every single week." But for some reason, not this past Saturday.

"And this week, this particular week, he decided to go by himself, and his little girls weren’t with him," Soroka observed. "Can you imagine what would have happened if those little girls were with him?"

Abraham Trachtman told WBBM-TV that there's a large Orthodox Jewish community in the area and that he also was headed to a local synagogue when he was told of the shooting: "A Jewish guy walking to synagogue, Saturday morning, Sabbath morning, it just, it doesn't make sense."

Local Jewish leaders also noted to WFLD that Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson hadn't acknowledged the shooting or their pain. However, Johnson's office on Tuesday issued the following statement:

On behalf of the City of Chicago, our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the victim and his loved ones from this weekend’s shooting incident that took place in Rogers Park. This tragic event should have never happened, and we recognize the dedication of our first responders who put their lives on the line during this shooting. The Mayor’s Office is in close communication with the Chicago Police Department as the investigation continues. All Chicagoans deserve to feel safe and protected across the city. There is more work to be done, and we are committed to diligently improving community safety in every neighborhood.

However, the Jewish United Fund told Johnson in response, "You failed to identify that the victim was a Jewish man, in a densely populated Jewish neighborhood, going to synagogue for Shabbat morning prayers. What will it take for you to acknowledge the Jewish community?"

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Chicago police allegedly said suspect in shooting of Orthodox Jewish man shouted 'Allahu Akbar' amid later shoot-out with cops



A Jewish advocacy group said Chicago police indicated during a Monday meeting with the group that the suspect in the Saturday morning shooting of an Orthodox Jewish man shouted "Allahu Akbar" during a later shoot-out with cops, WMAQ-TV reported.

The station noted that the group — the Jewish United Fund — said police who met with its members indicated that 22-year-old suspect Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi shouted the well-known Muslim declaration while firing at officers, which led to a concern that hate played a role in the incident.

'What will it take for you to acknowledge the Jewish community?'

However, WMAQ said police haven't confirmed those details to the station.

Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling on Tuesday said there wasn't enough evidence to charge Abdallahi with a hate crime due to the suspect still being in the hospital in the wake of the shoot-out, the station said.

"We do investigations [that are] based on facts that we gather into evidence in order to present charges," Snelling said, 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."

What's the background?

Chicago police said Abdallahi was identified as the offender who shot the 39-year-old male victim in the 2600 block of West Farwell Avenue around 9:30 a.m. NBC News reported that the victim is Jewish and was wearing the Jewish skullcap while on his way to services on the Jewish Sabbath.

The suspect shot the victim "in the shoulder without saying a word," Snelling said at a Monday news conference, 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.

Video you can view here apparently shows 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 here, the station cuts the audio just before the suspect's outburst.

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. Abdallahi's detention hearing was scheduled for Tuesday, police added.

City Alderman Debra Silverstein — who attends the same synagogue as the Jewish man who was shot — said at the same news conference Monday that there's increased fear among local Jews, NBC News noted.

"A man wearing the kippah as he walked to synagogue was shot, and this has just escalated our anxieties," she said, according to the news network, which added that Silverstein in a later message to constituents wrote that she's "very disappointed" that hate crime charges had not been filed despite "evidence that seems to suggest an anti-Semitic motive for the shooting."

Silverstein told CBS News she visited the victim Saturday night after his hospital release and noted that he's doing "OK."

Rabbi Shlomo Soroka of Agudath Israel of Illinois told WMAQ-TV in regard to the lack of hate crime charges that "there’s no question that from an emotional standpoint, it’s disappointing. But I think it’s equally important to understand that whether or not there is a hate crime charge, that’s a technicality. That doesn’t change the reality of our experience.”

Soroka added to WFLD-TV that the victim — described as an Orthodox Jew — took his "little girls with him" to synagogue "every single week." But for some reason, not this past Saturday.

"And this week, this particular week, he decided to go by himself, and his little girls weren’t with him," Soroka observed. "Can you imagine what would have happened if those little girls were with him?"

Abraham Trachtman told WBBM-TV that there's a large Orthodox Jewish community in the area and that he also was headed to a local synagogue when he was told of the shooting: "A Jewish guy walking to synagogue, Saturday morning, Sabbath morning, it just, it doesn't make sense."

Local Jewish leaders also noted to WFLD that Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson hadn't acknowledged the shooting or their pain. However, Johnson's office on Tuesday issued the following statement:

On behalf of the City of Chicago, our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the victim and his loved ones from this weekend’s shooting incident that took place in Rogers Park. This tragic event should have never happened, and we recognize the dedication of our first responders who put their lives on the line during this shooting. The Mayor’s Office is in close communication with the Chicago Police Department as the investigation continues. All Chicagoans deserve to feel safe and protected across the city. There is more work to be done, and we are committed to diligently improving community safety in every neighborhood.

However, the Jewish United Fund told Johnson in response, "You failed to identify that the victim was a Jewish man, in a densely populated Jewish neighborhood, going to synagogue for Shabbat morning prayers. What will it take for you to acknowledge the Jewish community?"

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Orthodox Jewish man shot while on his way to synagogue in Chicago; suspect not charged with hate crime amid outcry



An Orthodox Jewish man wearing a kippah was shot while on his way to a Chicago synagogue Saturday — but the 22-year-old shooting suspect, Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi, wasn't charged with a hate crime amid community outcry.

Chicago police said Abdallahi was identified as the offender who shot the 39-year-old male victim in the 2600 block of West Farwell Avenue around 9:30 a.m. NBC News reported that the victim is Jewish and was wearing the Jewish skullcap while on his way to services on the Jewish sabbath.

'We are visibly Jewish, and that puts a target on our backs.'

Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said at a Monday news conference that the suspect shot the victim "in the shoulder without saying a word," NBC News added. Snelling also said there wasn't enough evidence to add hate crime charges but noted it remained a possibility. The victim was treated in a hospital and discharged Saturday afternoon, NBC News said.

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.

Video you can view here apparently shows part of the suspect's second wave of gunfire.

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. Abdallahi's detention hearing was scheduled for Tuesday, police added.

City Alderman Debra Silverstein — who attends the same synagogue as the Jewish man who was shot — said at the same news conference Monday that there's increased fear among local Jews, NBC News noted.

"A man wearing the kippah as he walked to synagogue was shot, and this has just escalated our anxieties," she said, according to the news network, which added that Silverstein in a later message to constituents wrote that she's "very disappointed" that hate crime charges had not been filed despite "evidence that seems to suggest an antisemitic motive for the shooting."

Silverstein told CBS News she visited the victim Saturday night after his hospital release and noted he's doing "OK."

Rabbi Shlomo Soroka of the Agudath Israel of Illinois told WMAQ-TV "at the end of the day, it’s as traumatic whether or not it gets that terminology of being a hate crime. My family lives here. My community lives here. We are visibly Jewish, and that puts a target on our backs."

As for the present lack of hate crime charges, the rabbi noted to the outlet "there’s no question that from an emotional standpoint, it’s disappointing. But I think it’s equally important to understand that whether or not there is a hate crime charge, that’s a technicality. That doesn’t change the reality of our experience.”

Soroka added to WFLD-TV that the victim — described as an Orthodox Jew — took his "little girls with him" to synagogue "every single week." But for some reason, not this past Saturday.

"And this week, this particular week, he decided to go by himself, and his little girls weren’t with him," Soroka observed. "Can you imagine what would have happened if those little girls were with him?"

Abraham Trachtman told WBBM-TV there's a large Orthodox Jewish community in the area, and he also was headed to a local synagogue when he was told of the shooting: "A Jewish guy walking to synagogue, Saturday morning, Sabbath morning, it just, it doesn't make sense."

Local Jewish leaders also noted to WFLD that Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson hadn't acknowledged the shooting or their pain.

More from NBC News:

Attacks on Jews in the United States tripled in less than a year after Oct. 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas militants, according to data from the ADL Center on Extremism. Attacks on Muslims and Arabs in the U.S. also increased, the Council on American-Islamic Relations said.

Sunday marked six years since a gunman opened fire on a congregation at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, killing 11 people in the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in U.S. history.

You can view a video report here about the shooting.

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'They used our DNA of Jews being persecuted ... as an excuse to make an event': Orthodox Jewish leaders claim White House barred them from hate crime summit



Some Orthodox Jewish leaders have cried foul after they say they were barred from attending a White House summit about hate crimes against minority groups.

On September 15, the Biden administration hosted a hate crime summit called "United We Stand." Though Rev. Al Sharpton originally requested the summit after 10 black people were murdered in a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, back in May, the summit was pitched as a means of publicly condemning hate crimes in all forms, including anti-Semitic attacks.

During his speech at the summit, President Joe Biden condemned the "anti-Semitic bile" uttered by white supremacists at the Charlottesville clash in 2017. He also claimed that a "through-line of hate" is endemic to American culture and that this hateful American instinct manifests in attacks against ethnic minorities, such as Mexicans and Chinese, and religious minorities, including Catholics, Mormons, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, and Jews.

Despite these professions of support for persecuted Jews, several notable Orthodox Jewish leaders say they weren't welcome at United We Stand. Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce CEO Duvi Honig said that he attempted to contact administration officials three times to secure his place, but that no one ever responded to his requests.

Honig does not believe that the silence he received from the administration was a mere oversight.

"The question is, is [Biden] punishing the Orthodox community for supporting [former President Donald] Trump?" Honig asked.

"The White House used hate," Honig added. "They used us, our blood — they used our DNA of Jews being persecuted and attacked daily as an excuse to make an event and didn’t include Orthodox Jews, who were the number one [target of] hate and anti-Semitism."

Honig is not the only Orthodox Jew who was not permitted to attend the event, either. Four Orthodox Jewish journalists from Ami magazine say they were similarly denied entry due to "spacing constraints." The White House claims there were only 40 press spots available total and that 50 applicants were vying for the 20 spots not already taken by members of the daily press pool.

Though it is unclear whether the White House actually denied the accusation that it had deliberately barred Orthodox Jews from United We Stand, according to the New York Post, the White House did point out that Orthodox Union leader Nathan Diament and panelist Joseph Borgen both attended the event and that Rabbi Moshe Hauer was invited but could not be there due to a scheduling conflict. Several other Reformed and Conservative Jews attended the event, including Jewish Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt.

However, Honig seems to view these Jewish representatives as the exceptions that prove the rule. "One person trickled in!" he said derisively in reference to Diament. He also noted that Reformed Jews are less likely to face persecution since they often do not wear apparel, such as a yarmulke, that would mark them as Jewish.

Still, Jake Turx, one of the four Ami journalists kept from the event, was satisfied with the explanations given by the White House.

"I’m relieved that we were able to reach an understanding," Turx said in a statement to the New York Post. "The Jewish people have enough enemies as is. Thankfully the White House press shop isn’t on that list."

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