Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi shoots at Chicago Jewish man in alleged hate crime with gunman suspect said to be an illegal alien from Africa who entered the United States over 18 months ago as hate crime charges are now deliberated.
An alleged illegal immigrant is accused of shooting and injuring a 39-year-old Jewish man walking to a synagogue over the weekend along with firing at responding officers at Chicago’s North Side.
At the time of the unprovoked attack, Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi, 22, is alleged to have screamed out, ‘Allah Akbar,’ during an ensuing shoot out with police Saturday morning.
The attack which occurred in Chicago’s West Ridge neighborhood, led to the victim, a 39-year-old Orthodox Jewish man, being hit in the shoulder. The un-named victim has since been treated and released from hospital and is recovering at home.
Islamic terror attack? On Oct. 26 in a North Side neighborhood in Chicago, a Jewish man walking to the synagogue was shot by a suspect. When first responders arrived, the gunman shouted, “Allahu akbar” and fired upon them too.
The gunman was shot by returning fire from police… pic.twitter.com/Jydt5usMLp
— Andy Ngo 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) October 28, 2024
Suspect shot Chicago Jewish man from behind
Abdallahi was booked on a slew of felony charges, including six counts of attempted first-degree murder, seven counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm at a police officer or firefighter and aggravated battery, Chicago police said Monday.
Abdallahi allegedly approached the victim as he was on the 2600 block of West Farwell Avenue, walking toward a synagogue at around 9:30 a.m., police said.
Abdallahi is alleged to have approached the victim from behind, before shooting him in the shoulder, without saying a word, leading to the victim falling to the ground. It is there that the gunman’s weapon allegedly jammed, ABC7Chicago reported.
‘And then, the perpetrator was going to shoot him on the ground, but his gun jammed. And a neighbor of ours, who had happened to be out there, had yelled, and he started running toward my neighbor, and my neighbor ended up bringing him into the house,’ neighbor Eli Lawrence told the outlet.
The suspect fled only to re-emerge from an alley some 25-30 minutes later, shooting at responding officers and paramedics multiple times from various locations, according to the Chicago Police Dept.
‘At about 9:55, the offender reemerged from an alley and fired shots at the officers and at the responding paramedics,’ Chicago Deputy Police Chief Kevin Bruno told reporters.
‘Allahu Akbar (God is Great)’
Abdallahi then had a nearly three-minute-long standoff with police, with a cascade of bullets being shot in the direction of first respondents, with some bullets hitting a Chicago Fire Department ambulance, officials said.
The gunman was shot multiple times by police and rushed to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston in critical condition. A weapon was recovered at the scene, Chicago Police said.
A security camera in the area recorded Abdallahi allegedly shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ before firing at police, the Jerusalem Post reported.
The incident has since led to the Jewish community demanding that the suspect be also charged with a hate crime, arguing the attack was predicated on the victim’s faith and ethnocentrism.
Chicago — Footage has emerged of 22-year-old Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi, the Muslim gunman accused of shooting a Jewish man and first responders while shouting, “Allahu akbar.” He was taken to hospital for injuries from being shot by police after he allegedly opened fire on them. pic.twitter.com/XyraCs8fV8
— Andy Ngo 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) October 28, 2024
Hate crime?
Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling said detectives had yet to interview the suspect because of his injuries, and that police hadn’t ruled out the possibility of additional charges.
‘Though this offender has been charged in this shooting, we’re continuing to investigate the motive. At this point, detectives have been unable to interview the offender because of his injuries,’ Snelling told reporters. ‘Until we have those facts, we will not announce charges. It’s about what we can prove based on the facts.’
Debra L. Silverstein, alderman for the 50th Ward and a local resident, said she was shocked by the violence over the weekend — and also furious about the lack of hate crime charges filed against Abdallahi.
‘I am very disappointed by this turn of events and strongly encourage the Cook County State’s Attorney Office to prosecute the offender to the full extent of the law,’ Silverstein told the Chicago Sun-Times.
‘The Jewish community is always on high alert, and this is just adding to our anxiety,’ she added.
Of note, New York Post journalist Karol Markowicz tweeted that the suspect in the shooting is an illegal immigrant from northwest Africa and crossed the border about a year and a half ago. The claim has yet to be verified by immigration authorities.
The ‘reticence’ to charge the suspect with a hate crime comes amid claims that Chicago authorities fear provoking stoking Islamophobia.
The shooting comes amid a surge in antisemitic incidents across the US since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, 2023.
Abdallahi is due in court Tuesday.