West Rogers Park shooting: What we know about Sidi Muhammad Abdellahi, charged with hate crime after shooting Jewish man in Chicago

CHICAGO (WLS) — New details emerge about the suspect shooting that injured an Orthodox Jew in West Rogers Park.

The 22-year-old suspect, who is not from Chicago, will now be charged with hate crimes.

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Immigration and Customs Enforcement told ABC7 that Sidi Muhammad Abdellahi is a Mauritanian national whom U.S. Border Patrol first encountered in the country last year. That’s why federal agencies are now involved in the investigation.

On Thursday, Chicago police announced new terrorism and hate crime charges against Abdellahi. They say evidence on his phone showed he was planning an attack on people of the Jewish faith.

Now ICE is involved in the investigation and tells ABC7 it has requested the suspect’s pretrial detention, which means the agency must be notified if he is to be released.

“We know he’s not from Chicago, but establishing addresses, where he lived, when he got here… that’s all we’re constantly working on,” said CPD Supt. Larry Snelling.

Abdellahi has not yet appeared in court because he is in intensive care for injuries suffered in a shootout with police. The shooting happened just 20 minutes after he allegedly shot and killed a 39-year-old man near North Washtenaw Avenue.

ICE confirmed that Abdellahi was first found by U.S. Border Patrol in March 2023 near San Ysidro, California.

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said her team was not ready to comment on the suspect’s immigration status.

“As we did just two days ago, we intend to present a full recitation of the offer with this level of detail at the next court hearing. We will share that information next week,” Foxx said.

While local authorities continue to cooperate with federal agencies in the investigation, Chicago police do not believe a broader terrorism threat is involved.

“The evidence we now have shows he acted alone. We don’t want anyone there for fear of the network of people involved in this activity,” Snelling said.

Abdellahi is scheduled to return to court next week while his condition remains in hospital.

Additional federal charges may emerge as the investigation continues.