cnn
—

Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi faces a new serious crime terrorism and hate crime charges following a shooting near a Chicago synagogue, in a disturbing incident that underscores the alarming rise of anti-Semitism and hate crimes across the United States.

The shooting came amid growing fears for the safety of Jewish communities, and Abdallahi allegedly shot a Jewish man walking to a synagogue before opening fire on responding officers over the weekend.

Abdallahi remains hospitalized after a shootout with police, leaving authorities unable to question him, instead using digital evidence to establish his case, Chicago Police Department Superintendent Larry Snelling said at a news conference. press on Thursday.

This is what we know:

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx highlighted the rarity of terrorism charges and noted that the allegations against Abdallahi reflect the seriousness of the crime.

“This charge sends a clear message: any act that seeks to destabilize our communities through fear and hate will face maximum accountability under the law,” Foxx said. “The efforts to commit this crime were not spontaneous, they were not simply to shock the moment, but to inflict terror.”

Abdallahi is also charged with six counts of attempted first-degree murder, seven counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm and one count of aggravated assault with a firearm, according to the release. His next court date is set for November 7.

Superintendent Snelling emphasized the importance of a thorough investigation to ensure the new charges are justified, stating that the decision to file these charges was not influenced by public pressure or media scrutiny.

Detectives examined digital evidence, including evidence from Abdallahi’s phone, that suggested he was targeting people of the Jewish faith, Snelling said, without providing further details.

Investigators have found no indication that Abdallahi was part of a larger group, reassuring the public that authorities do not want residents to fear a potential network of people involved in such acts.

“There must be sufficient evidence to support hate crimes and terrorism charges, and it was important that we take our time to fully investigate and confirm that this was a crime of that nature,” Snelling said.

“We will never go out in public, make statements, allegations, accusations or try to press charges without any proof of why we are trying to charge someone.”

Investigation findings and official responses

Abdallahi, 22, is accused of opening fire on a 39-year-old Jewish man Saturday morning on Chicago’s North Side before shooting “at responding officers and paramedics multiple times from multiple locations,” according to police. .

In response, officers returned fire, striking the suspect and preventing further injuries, as detailed in a Chicago police statement Monday. No police or fire department personnel were injured, although Abdallahi remains in the hospital.

Abdallahi, a citizen of Mauritania in West Africa, previously encountered U.S. Border Patrol in San Ysidro, California, on March 31, 2023, according to a statement from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement released Thursday.

Following Abdallahi’s arrest, ICE “filed an immigration detainer at the Cook County Jail” on Tuesday, agency spokeswoman Erin Bultje said. ICE did not disclose additional details about Abdallahi’s immigration status.

Increase in anti-Semitism and hate crimes

In October, the Anti-Defamation League reported that anti-Semitic incidents in the United States reached a record level in the year following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

The latest data, which covers from that day to September 24, shows almost three times as many incidents as the previous year, with more than 10,000 anti-Semitic episodes recorded. The majority (8,015) were classified as verbal or written harassment, while the remainder included vandalism and physical assault.

In September, the FBI released its hate crime statistics for last year, indicating that the United States recorded 11,862 hate crime incidents involving 13,829 crimes, of which 22.5% were motivated by religion.

A bipartisan group of senators has inserted the Combating Anti-Semitism Act to strengthen federal efforts against anti-Semitism. Sponsored by Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada and Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, the bill would allow the president to appoint a federal coordinator to manage national initiatives, among others.

The victim was hospitalized after the shooting, but has since been released, says Debra Silverstein, a councilwoman representing Chicago’s 50th Ward, where the shooting took place.

“Fortunately, this victim did not sustain life-threatening injuries. “We know this is something he will have to deal with for the rest of his days,” Snelling said.

Mayor Brandon Johnson condemned the attack, declared that hate has no place in Chicago and described anti-Semitism as “horrible” and “evil.”

“This is not just an attack on our beloved community of Jews, it was an attack on us as a city,” Johnson said. “Anti-Semitism in Chicago does not reflect the soul of Chicago. And everyone in our city deserves to feel safe, and no one in our city should be attacked because of their beliefs, their religion or their identity.”

The Midwest branch of the Anti-Defamation League said in a statement shared on social media Thursday that “the charges appropriately reflect” the seriousness of the shooting.

“We must all focus our attention on supporting the victim and the West Rogers Park Jewish community as they recover from this heinous act,” the statement said.

CNN’s Cindy Von Quednow and Whitney Wild contributed to this report.