Chicago authorities under scrutiny after anti-Semitic shooting: “national scandal”

After an Orthodox Jew was shot to death while walking to his synagogue on the Sabbath in Chicago's Rogers Park last weekend, media outlets quickly gathered and disseminated information about the victim's background. . It was also the media that were the first to confirm that the suspect, Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi, 22, was a Mauritanian national illegally staying in the United States.

After the attack, Chicago's Jewish community feared the lack of information from Chicago police and Mayor Brandon Johnson, who took five days to acknowledge the religious origins of Abdallahi's Jewish victim. Police also did not tell the public what Abdallahi shouted as she shot the officers, refusing to confirm the substance of the circulating Ring camera footage, although she acknowledged that “something was stated.” .

Richard Goldberg, senior advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that “there is a clear cover-up to block the flow of information ahead of next week's election.” They knew of the shooter's illegal status from the moment they checked his ID.”

“This should be a national scandal,” Goldberg added.

GROWING CALLS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TO BE CHARGED WITH HATE CRIMES IN SHOOTING OF JEWISH MAN

Police are investigating a shooting that occurred on October 26, 2024 in the West Ridge neighborhood of Chicago. (Fox32 Chicago)

Abdallahi's address, listed in a police news release, is 27 miles from Rogers Park. Goldberg noted that he went out of his way to travel a significant distance for the alleged attack.

The suspect's alleged anti-Semitic motivations then became a key theme during the October 31 press conference, during which Chicago Police Commissioner Larry Snelling announced long-awaited additional criminal charges against Abdallahi for the crime of hatred and terrorism, bringing the total number of charges against Abdallahi to 16.

“We did not get these charges because of public pressure or media attention,” Snelling told reporters. “Gathering evidence and facts takes time.” Snelling said detectives were unable to interview Abdallahi, who remains hospitalized after being shot by police. Evidence recorded on the suspect's phone “indicated that he planned the shooting and specifically targeted people of the Jewish faith.”

Chicago officials did not provide details on Abdallahi's immigration status during their news conference. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesperson Erin Bultje confirmed to Fox News Digital that Abdallahi was apprehended while entering the country near San Ysidro in March and was later released in the UNITED STATES.

“It’s pretty obvious what happened here,” said Goldberg, a former NSC official in the Trump administration. “We have an act of terrorism committed by someone who entered the country illegally and was allowed to stay there under Biden-Harris policies. And as soon as Democratic officials realized the potential impact this could have on the presidential election, they panicked and tried to lock down the country the information is circulating. But the Jewish community fought back.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION STATUS REVEALED IN SHOOTING OF JEWISH MAN IN DEM-CONTROLLED CITY

Chicago Police Chief Larry Snelling announced terrorism and hate crime charges against Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi after he allegedly shot and killed an Orthodox Jew. (WFLD)

Just two months ago, Canadian authorities arrested a 20-year-old Pakistani man who plotted an attack on the Jewish community in Brooklyn, New York.

At Thursday's press conference, a WGN reporter discussed ICE's confirmation of Abdallahi's Mauritanian citizenship and asked whether State Attorney Kim Foxx was considering accepting the detainee from the 'ICE for Abdallahi incarcerated at Cook County Jail.

“What we are doing today is announcing the charges,” Foxx responded. “Next week, when we make the full offer, we will be able to confirm the information you have.” Because the suspect “is presumed innocent until proven guilty” and “has not been given the opportunity to appear before a judge and face the charges,” Foxx said she was “not going to give a level of precision that was not granted to him.” “

Pat Brady, a former federal and state prosecutor in Illinois, confirmed to Fox News Digital that “it is not unusual for details not to be made public until after the formal indictment.”

Malka Reich, a stay-at-home mother who allegedly witnessed part of the attack that took place partly in her backyard – Ring camera footage of the incident from her home was widely distributed – said to Fox News Digital that she believed “the mayor and potentially members of the federal government are trying to hide key elements of the hate crime.”

Illegal immigrant faces hate crimes, terrorism charges following shooting of Jewish man in Chicago

The victim, described by the Jewish United Fund as a “member of the Jewish community,” was reportedly shot in the shoulder in Chicago. (Fox32 Chicago)

At Thursday's press conference, Johnson was asked why he did not identify the victim's religious background in his previous statements. Johnson was widely condemned for sending “heartfelt thoughts and prayers” to the victim without describing him as Jewish.

Rather than answer the question, Johnson explained that “my responsibility as mayor of Chicago is to keep every community safe, and I take that responsibility seriously.” Johnson added that “terrorism wants to incite, inflame and make people feel isolated and alone. But the Jewish community is not alone. We stand firm with our Jewish brothers and sisters, as I I always did.”

Johnson has been condemned in the past for contributing to an environment of anti-Semitism in Chicago, including through his decisive vote in favor of a ceasefire resolution passed in January by the City Council.

According to the Chicago Police Department's hate crimes dashboard, there were 71 anti-Jewish hate crimes in the city in 2024, up from 50 in 2023 and 39 in 2022.

Among the many Chicago Jews unhappy with initial responses to Saturday's shooting was Alderman Debra Silverstein, who spoke to Fox News Digital before the hate crime charge against Abdallahi was announced. Silverstein expressed the feeling within Chicago's Jewish community that “City Hall doesn't support them.”

Silverstein also worries about anti-Semitism in Chicago public schools. After the Chicago City Council's ceasefire resolution passed, students staged a pro-Palestinian strike during which Silverstein said some Chicago students were told “not to wear of blue and white” because the schools “weren't sure they could protect them.”

Amid the battle over the facts surrounding Abdallahi's shooting, the Jewish Insider published an article that said the new president of the Chicago Board of Education, the Rev. Mitchell Johnson, had “a long history of inflammatory anti-Semitic posts , anti-Israeli and pro-Hamas”. content on social networks.

Silverstein said she quickly gathered about 40 aldermen and the city clerk to call for Rev. Johnson's resignation. On October 31, the mayor said he had requested and received Rev. Johnson's resignation, calling the reverend's comments “not only hurtful but deeply troubling.” The mayor said “anti-Semitic, misogynistic and conspiratorial statements are unacceptable.”

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Silverstein said she was “glad that [the Rev. Johnson] resigned,” but that “he should never have been appointed in the first place; and my question is who and how was he vetted in the beginning, and now I am also worried about the other members and the selection process for them.”

Fox News Digital has repeatedly reached out to Mayor Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker for comment and clarification on the shooting victim's religion, the environment of anti-Semitism in Chicago and other developments in the shooting case. Abdullahi. Neither office responded.

The Chicago Police Department, in response to questions about the shooter, referred Fox News Digital to its prior press releases.