Chicago police and prosecutors filed terrorism charges against 22-year-old Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi, who was accused of shooting an Orthodox Jewish man as he walked to synagogue, paramedics and police earlier this month, according to multiple media reports on Friday.
Abdallahi had allegedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” before shooting at police responding to the initial shooting of a 39-year-old Jewish man.
Police Supt. Larry Snelling reportedly announced the terrorism and hate crime charge on Thursday.
Abdallahi also faces charges of six counts of attempted first-degree murder, seven counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm, and aggravated battery, according to CBS News.
“We want everybody to know that we will never tolerate violence that’s rooted in hate and bigotry. This shooting is deeply personal to members of our Jewish community. We know that. But this shooting should be personal to everyone across the city,” Snelling said.
Police had initially not filed hate crime charges, citing a lack of evidence, but have since reportedly discovered new information about the accused.
Police found evidence that the attack was targeting Jews on the suspect’s phone but have been unable to question him as he recovers in hospital from the gunshot wound he sustained while allegedly firing at first responders.
“I want to make this clear to everybody in every community. We did not secure these charges because of public pressure, or because of media attention,” Snelling said. “Gathering evidence and facts takes time, and we have to do it in a timely fashion so that we don’t impede the possibility of getting charges. We will never do things just based on a belief. We need proof.”
When asked about Abdallahi’s country of origin, Snelling responded that the police were still investigating the suspect’s background. Despite this, the New York Post reported on Thursday that police sources told them the suspect was a migrant from the West African nation of Mauritania.
The New York Post claimed that border officials did not find any concerning history after carrying out a background check on Abdallahi and that his asylum case is pending.
Snelling confirmed that the police believed the suspected shooter acted alone, assuring local residents there is no reason to fear “that there’s a network of people out there engaged in this activity.”
Abdallahi is set to appear in court on November 7, CNN reported.
The American Jewish Committee released a statement after the additional charges were announced, writing, “Since Saturday, Chicago’s Jewish community has been seeking reassurance that authorities were investigating this attack as a hate crime because we were deeply concerned that a member of our community was violently targeted. With that said, we continue to urge a thorough investigation so that justice can be served.”
