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

After an Orthodox Jew was shot and killed while walking to his synagogue in Rogers Park in Chicago last weekend, the media quickly gathered and disseminated information about the victim’s origins. It was also the media that first confirmed that the suspect, 22-year-old Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi, was Mauritanian citizen who was in the US illegally.

After the attack, fear escalated in Chicago’s Jewish community over the lack of information from Chicago police and Mayor Brandon Johnson, who for five days admitted that Abdallahi’s Jewish victim had a religious background. Police also did not tell the public what Abdallahi shouted as he fired at officers, refusing to confirm the content of circulating Ring camera footage, although admitting “something was said.”

Richard Goldberg, senior adviser to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that “there is a clear cover-up taking place designed to block the flow of information ahead of next week’s election. They knew about the shooter’s illegal status from the moment he checked his ID card.”

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

GROWING CALLS FOR AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TO BE CHARGED WITH HATE CRIME IN THE SHOOTING OF A JEW

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

Abdallahi’s address listed in the police press release is 27 miles from Rogers Park. Goldberg noted that he made every effort to travel a considerable distance for the alleged attack.

The suspect’s alleged anti-Semitic motives then became a key topic of an October 31 news conference, during which Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling announced the long-awaited additional hate crime and terrorism charges against Abdallahi, bringing the total number of charges against Abdallahi to 16.

“We have not secured these charges due to public pressure or media interest,” Snelling told reporters. “It takes time to gather evidence and facts.” Snelling explained that detectives were unable to interview Abdallahi, who remains in hospital after being shot by police. Evidence 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 about Abdallahi’s immigration status at the news conference. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokeswoman Erin Bultje confirmed to Fox News Digital that Abdallahi was detained entering the country near San Ysidro in March and was later released in the U.S.

“It’s pretty obvious what happened here,” said Goldberg, a former NSC official in the Trump administration. “We are dealing with an act of terrorism committed by an individual who entered the country illegally and was allowed to remain under the Biden-Harris policy. When Democratic officials realized the potential impact this could have on the presidential election, they panicked and tried to shut down the country’s flow of information, but the Jewish community resisted.”

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION STATUS EXPOSED AFTER THE SHOOTING OF A JEW IN A CITY CONTROLLED BY DEMOCRATS

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

Just two months ago Canadian authorities arrested A 20-year-old Pakistani man who planned to attack the Jewish community in Brooklyn, New York.

At Thursday’s press conference, a WGN reporter mentioned ICE’s confirmation of Abdallahi’s Mauritanian citizenship and asked whether State Attorney Kim Foxx planned to comply with ICE’s order for Abdallahi to remain in the Cook County Jail.

“What we are doing today is announcing fees“, Foxx replied. “When we submit our full offer next week, we will be able to confirm the information we have.” Because the suspect “is presumed innocent until proven guilty” and “has not had the opportunity to appear in court to be tried and face the charges,” Foxx said she “does not intend to provide a level of detail that has not been provided 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 a formal arraignment.”

Stay-at-home mother Malka Reich, who reportedly witnessed part of the attack, which partly took place in her backyard – there was widely circulated ring camera footage of the incident recorded in her home – told Fox News Digital that she believed “the mayor and potentially people in the federal government are trying to hide “key elements of a hate crime.”

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FEE HATE CRIME AND Terrorism Charges Over Shooting of JEW IN CHICAGO

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

During Thursday’s news conference, Johnson was asked why he had not identified the victim’s religious background in earlier statements. Johnson it was common convicted for sending “heartfelt thoughts and prayers” to the victim without describing him as Jewish.

Instead of answering the question, Johnson explained that “it is my responsibility as mayor of Chicago to keep every community safe, and I take that responsibility seriously.” Johnson added that “terror wants to incite and anger and make people feel isolated and alone. But the Jewish community is not alone. As always, we stand firmly on the side of our Jewish siblings.”

Johnson has been condemned in the past for fueling the atmosphere of anti-Semitism in Chicago, including through his actions the decisive vote of support the January resolution on the ceasefire adopted by the City Council.

According to the Chicago Police Department’s Hate Crime Dashboard, there have been incidents like this 71 anti-Jewish hate crimes in the city in 2024, compared to 50 in 2023 and 39 in 2022.

Among the many Jewish Chicagoans unhappy with early reactions to Saturday’s shooting was Councilwoman Debra Silverstein, who spoke to Fox News Digital before Abdallahi’s hate crime charges were announced. Silverstein expressed the feeling of Chicago’s Jewish community that “City Hall doesn’t have their backs.”

Silverstein also worries about anti-Semitism in Chicago public schools. After the Chicago City Council passed a ceasefire resolution, students organized a pro-Palestinian walkout, during which Silverstein said that some Chicago students “were told not to wear blue and white” because schools “were not sure they would be able to protect.”

Amid the battle over the facts in the Abdallahi shooting case, Jewish Insider broke the story that the newly appointed president of the Chicago Board of Education, the Rev. Mitchell Johnson, had a “long history of posting inflammatory anti-Semitic, anti-Israel and pro-Hamas content on social media.”

Silverstein said she quickly gathered about 40 aldermen and a city clerk to call on Rev. Johnson to resign. By October 31, the mayor stated that he had asked and received the Reverend Johnson’s resignation, calling the Reverend’s remarks “not only hurtful, but also deeply disturbing.” The mayor stated that “anti-Semitic, misogynistic and conspiratorial statements are unacceptable.”

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Silverstein said she was “happy that (Rev. Johnson) resigned” but “he shouldn’t have been appointed at all; and my question is who was vetted and how in the beginning, and now I’m concerned about the remaining members and their vetting process.”

Fox News Digital has repeatedly reached out to Mayor Johnson and Gov. J.B. Pritzker for comment and clarification regarding the shooting victim’s religion, the environment of anti-Semitism in Chicago and other developments in the Abdallahi case. None of the offices responded.

In response to questions about the shooter, the Chicago Police Department referred Fox News Digital to its earlier press releases.