Chicago authorities under microscope after antisemitic shooting: 'National scandal'

After an Orthodox Jewish man was shot while walking to his synagogue on the Sabbath in Rogers Park, Chicago, last weekend, media outlets 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 a Mauritanian national who was in the U.S. illegally.

After the attack, fear rose within Chicago’s Jewish community about the lack of information from the Chicago Police Department and Mayor Brandon Johnson, who took five days to acknowledge the religious background of Abdallahi’s Jewish victim. Police also did not tell the public what Abdallahi shouted while shooting at officers, refusing to confirm the substance of Ring camera footage that was circulating, although they did acknowledge that "there was something stated."

Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that "there is a clear cover-up going on to seal off information flow before next week’s election. They knew about the shooter’s illegal status from the moment they ran his ID."

"This should be a national scandal," Goldberg added.

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Abdallahi’s address, listed in a police news release, is 27 miles from Rogers Park. Goldberg noted that he went out of his way to travel a significant distance for the alleged attack.

The suspect's alleged antisemitic motives then became a key theme during the Oct. 31 news conference where Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling announced long-awaited additional felony charges against Abdallahi for a hate crime and terrorism, bringing the total number of charges against Abdallahi to 16. 

"We did not secure these charges because of public pressure or because of media attention," Snelling told reporters. "Gathering evidence and facts takes time." Snelling explained that detectives had been unable to interview Abdallahi, who remains hospitalized after being shot by police. Evidence on the suspect’s phone "indicated he planned the shooting and specifically targeted people of the Jewish faith." 

Chicago officials did not provide details about Abdallahi’s immigration status in their news conference. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesperson Erin Bultje confirmed to Fox News Digital that Abdallahi was apprehended while entering the country near San Ysidro in March and was subsequently released inside the U.S. 

"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 Biden-Harris policies. And the second Democratic officials realized the potential impact that might have on the presidential election, they panicked and tried to lock down information flow. But the Jewish community fought back."

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Just two months ago, Canadian authorities arrested a 20-year-old Pakistani man who had plotted to carry out an attack on the Jewish community in Brooklyn, New York.

At Thursday’s news conference, a WGN journalist brought up ICE’s confirmation of Abdallahi’s Mauritanian nationality and asked whether State’s Attorney Kim Foxx planned to comply with the ICE detainer for Abdallahi lodged with the Cook County jail.

"What we’re doing today is announcing the charges," Foxx replied. "Next week, when we do the full-on proffer, we can confirm the information that you have." Because the suspect "is presumed innocent until proven guilty" and "has not had the opportunity to appear before a judge and face the charges," Foxx said she was "not going to give a level of specificity that has not been afforded to him."

Pat Brady, former federal and state prosecutor in Illinois, confirmed to Fox News Digital that "it’s not unusual that the details are not made publicly available until the formal arraignment."

Stay-at-home mother Malka Reich, who reportedly witnessed a portion of the attack that partially took place in her front yard – Ring camera footage of the incident taken at her home has been widely disseminated – told Fox News Digital that she believes "the mayor and potentially people in the federal government are trying to hide" key elements of the hate crime.

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During Thursday’s press conference, Johnson was asked why he had failed to identify the victim’s religious background in previous statements. Johnson was widely condemned for sending "heartfelt thoughts and prayers" to the victim without describing him as being Jewish.

Rather than answer the question, Johnson explained that "my responsibility as the mayor of Chicago is to keep every single community safe, and I take that responsibility seriously." Johnson added that "terror wants to incite and ignite and make people feel isolated and alone. But the Jewish community is not alone. We’re standing firm with our Jewish siblings as I always have."

Johnson has received condemnation in the past for adding to an environment of antisemitism inside Chicago, including through his tie-breaking vote in support of a January cease-fire resolution that was pushed by anti-Israel activists and passed by the City Council. 

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

Among many Jewish Chicagoans dissatisfied with early responses to Saturday’s shooting was Alderman Debra Silverstein, who spoke with Fox News Digital before Abdallahi’s hate crime charge was announced. Silverstein expressed the feeling in Chicago’s Jewish community that "City Hall does not have their back." 

Silverstein is also worried about antisemitism in Chicago Public Schools. After the Chicago City Council cease-fire resolution was passed, students staged a pro-Palestinian walkout in which Silverstein said that some Chicago students "were told not to wear blue and white" because the schools "weren’t sure that they would be able to protect them." 

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

Silverstein said she quickly rallied around 40 aldermen and the city clerk to call for the Rev. Johnson’s resignation. By Oct. 31, the mayor stated that he asked for and received the Rev. Johnson’s resignation, calling the reverend’s comments "not only hurtful but deeply disturbing." The mayor stated that "antisemitic, misogynistic and conspiratorial statements are unacceptable."

Silverstein said that she was "happy that [the Rev. Johnson] resigned" but that "he never should have been appointed in the first place; and my question is who and how was he vetted in the beginning, and now I’m concerned about the other members and the vetting process for them as well."

Fox News Digital repeatedly reached out to Mayor Johnson and Gov. J.B. Pritzker for comment and clarification about the shooting victim’s religion, the environment of antisemitism in Chicago and other developments in Abdallahi’s case. Neither office responded.

The Chicago Police Department, in response to questions about the shooter, referred Fox News Digital to its prior news releases.