Chicago authorities under microscope after anti-Semitic shooting: ‘National scandal’

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

After the attack, fear grew among Chicago’s Jewish community over the lack of information from the Chicago Police Department and Mayor Brandon Johnson, who took five days to acknowledge the religious background of Abdallahi, the Jewish victim. Police also did not tell the public what Abdallahi was yelling as he fired at the officers, refusing to confirm the content of the Ring camera footage that was shared, although they acknowledged that “something was said.”

Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser 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 about the shooter’s illegal status from the moment they checked his ID.”

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

CALLS ARE GROWING FOR HATE CRIMES CHARGES OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS OVER JEW SHOOTING

Police are investigating a shooting on Oct. 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 did his best to cover a considerable distance for the intended attack.

The suspect’s alleged anti-Semitic motives were a key topic during an October 31 news conference in 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 did not bring these charges because of public pressure or media attention,” Snelling told reporters. “Gathering evidence and facts takes time.” Snelling explained that detectives have not been able to interview Abdallahi, who remains hospitalized after being shot by police. Evidence on the suspect’s phone “indicates that he planned the shooting and, in particular, targeted people of the Jewish faith.”

Chicago officials did not provide details on Abdallahi’s immigration status at their news conference. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokeswoman Erin Boultier confirmed to Fox News Digital that Abdallahi was detained while entering the country near San Ysidro in March and was later released into 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 under the Biden-Harris policy. And when the Democrats realized the potential impact it could have on the presidential election, they panicked and tried to block the flow of information. But the Jewish community fought back.”

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION STATUS DISCOVERED IN JEW SHOOTING IN DEMOCRAT-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 are under arrest A 20-year-old Pakistani man who planned to carry out an attack on a Jewish community in Brooklyn, New York.

At a news conference Thursday, a WGN reporter mentioned ICE’s confirmation of Abdallahi’s Mauritanian citizenship and asked if State Attorney Kim Fox planned to comply with ICE’s request to hold Abdallahi in the Cook County Jail.

“What we are doing today is an announcement accusationFox replied. “Next week, when we make a full offer, we will be able to confirm the information you have.” Because the suspect is “presumed innocent until proven guilty” and “has not had the opportunity to stand trial and come forward with allegations,” Fox said she was “not going to provide a level of detail that he wasn’t allowed to.”

Pat Brady, a former federal and Illinois prosecutor, confirmed to Fox News Digital that “it’s not surprising that the details are not being released until charges are formally filed.”

Stay-at-home mother Malka Reich, who reportedly witnessed part of the attack, which took place in part in her backyard (a video of the incident captured by a Ring camera at her home was widely shared), told Fox News Digital that she believes that “the mayor and possibly the federal government are trying to cover up key elements of a hate crime.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHARGED WITH HATE SPEECH AND TERRORISM CRIMES IN CHICAGO JEW SHOOTING

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)

During a press conference Thursday, Johnson was asked why he failed to identify the victim’s religious background in earlier statements. Johnson was wide condemned for sending “heartfelt thoughts and prayers” to the victim without describing her as Jewish.

Instead of answering the question, Johnson explained that “my duty as mayor of Chicago is to keep every community safe, and I take that duty seriously.” Johnson added that “terror wants to inflame and inflame people so that they feel isolated and alone. But the Jewish community is not alone. As always, we stand firmly with our Jewish brothers and sisters.”

Johnson has previously been condemned for increasing anti-Semitism in Chicago, particularly because of him overwhelming vote in favor of the January resolution on the ceasefire adopted by the city council.

According to the Chicago Police Department’s hate crime dashboard, there were 71 hate crimes against Jews in the city in 2024, compared to 50 in 2023 and 39 in 2022.

Among the many Chicago Jews unhappy with the early response to Saturday’s shooting was Rep. Debra Silverstein, who spoke to Fox News Digital before Abdullahi was charged with hate crimes. Silverstein expressed the opinion of the Jewish community of Chicago that “city hall does not support them.”

Silverstein is also concerned about anti-Semitism in Chicago Public Schools. After the Chicago City Council passed the cease-fire resolution, students staged a pro-Palestinian demonstration, during which Silverstein said some Chicago students “were told not to wear blue and white” because the schools “were not sure they would be able to protect their”.

Against the background of the struggle for the facts of the shooting in Abdallah, Jewish Insider published the story that the newly appointed president of the Chicago Board of Education, the Rev. Mitchell Johnson, “has a long history of posting inflammatory anti-Semitic, anti-Israel and pro-Hamas content on social media.”

Silverstein said she quickly rallied 40 aldermen and the city clerk to call on the Rev. Johnson to resign. On Oct. 31, the mayor said he had asked for and received Reverend Johnson’s resignation, calling the reverend’s comments “not only offensive, but deeply troubling.” The mayor said that “anti-Semitic, misogynistic and conspiratorial statements are unacceptable.”

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Silverstein said she was “glad that (Rev. Johnson) resigned” but that “he should not have been appointed in the first place; and my question is who and how was he vetted in the beginning and now I’m worried about the other members and the vetting process for them as well.”

Fox News Digital has reached out repeatedly to Mayor Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker for comment and clarification on the shooting victim’s religion, the anti-Semitism environment in Chicago and other developments in the Abdullahi case. No office responded.

The Chicago Police Department, responding to questions about the shooter, referred Fox News Digital to its earlier newscasts.