Man charged with terrorism, hate crime in shooting of Jewish man walking to synagogue in Chicago, police say

CNN

By Cindy Von Quednow, CNN

(CNN) — A man is facing felony terrorism and hate crime charges after authorities say he shot a Jewish man who was walking to a synagogue and then fired at responding officers during a weekend shootout in Chicago.

Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi, 22, has been charged with one felony count of terrorism and one felony count of a hate crime, Chicago Police Department Superintendent Larry Snelling said at a news conference Thursday.

It’s unclear if Abdallahi has an attorney.

Abdallahi is accused of firing several shots at a 39-year-old man Saturday morning on the city’s North Side before firing “at responding officers and paramedics multiple times from various locations,” police say. Officers returned fire, striking the gunman, Chicago police said in a release Monday. No members of the police or fire departments were injured, but Abdallahi remains hospitalized.

Investigators have not been able to interview the suspect due to his injuries, Snelling said. Detectives looked through digital evidence to establish a case, including evidence from his phone that indicated he was targeting people of Jewish faith, the superintendent said without elaborating.

Evidence shows Abdallahi was working alone, Snelling said, adding officials don’t want residents to live in fear “that there’s a network of people out there engaged in this activity.”

Abdallahi is also facing six counts of attempted first-degree murder, seven counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm and one count of aggravated battery with the discharge of a firearm, the release said. His next court appearance is scheduled for November 7.

Snelling said it was important for authorities to fully investigate the incident to determine the new charges were appropriate, and emphasized they did not secure the new counts because of public pressure or media attention.

“There must be sufficient evidence to support hate crimes and terrorism charges and it was important we took our time to thoroughly investigate and confirm that this was indeed a crime of that nature,” Snelling said. “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.”

Mayor Brandon Johnson said there is no place in Chicago for hatred, calling hate toward the Jewish community “hideous” and “wicked.”

“This is not just an attack against our beloved community of Jewish people, this was an attack against us as a city,” Johnson said. “Antisemitism in Chicago does not reflect the soul of Chicago. And everyone in our city deserves to feel safe, and no one in our city should be attacked based on their beliefs, their religion, their identity.”

Johnson echoed Snelling’s comments about residents sense of security. “The Jewish community can be assured that we’re using every aspect of government to ensure that they are safe,” the mayor said.

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx acknowledged it is rare to bring terrorism charges and the count against Abdallahi underscores the gravity of the crime.

“This charge sends a clear message: Any acts that seek to destabilize our communities through fear and hatred will face the fullest measure of accountability under the law,” Foxx said. “The efforts to engage in this crime were not spur-of-the-moment, they were not simply to rattle at the time, but to inflict terror.”

In a statement posted on X Thursday, the Midwest arm of The Anti-Defamation League said “the charges appropriately reflect” the nature of the shooting.

“We must all turn our attention to supporting the victim and the West Rogers Park Jewish community as they recover from this heinous act,” the statement read.

Abdallahi is a Mauritanian national who was encountered by US Border Patrol in San Ysidro, California, on March 31, 2023, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a statement Thursday.

ICE “lodged an immigration detainer with Cook County Jail” on Tuesday, following Abdallahi’s arrest, agency spokesperson Erin Bultje said in the statement. ICE would not provide further information about Abdallahi’s immigration status.

The shooting victim was released from the hospital Saturday afternoon, according to Debra Silverstein, the alderman for Chicago’s 50th Ward, where the shooting occurred.

“Thankfully, this victim did not suffer life-threatening injuries. We know that this is something that he’s going to have to deal with the rest of his days,” Snelling said.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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CNN’s Whitney Wild contributed to this report.