The illegal migrant who allegedly opened fire on a Jewish man walking to synagogue in Chicago last weekend was hit with new hate crime and terrorism charges on Thursday, according to authorities.
Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi, 22, was slapped with the additional charges after he allegedly shot and wounded a 39-year-old Jewish man Saturday morning in the city’s West Ridge neighborhood — and then got into an ensuing shootout with authorities leading up to his arrest.
“This shooting is deeply personal to members of our Jewish community, we know that,” Windy City Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said during a press conference streamed locally. “But this shooting should be personal to everyone across the city.”
Just before he exchanged gunfire with police, the alleged gunman reportedly shouted “Allahu Akbar.” He was critically wounded in the shootout where medics were also caught in the crossfire. Abdallahi remained hospitalized on Thursday.
The victim fortunately did not sustain life-threatening injuries and no first responders were hurt.
Abdallahi was initially charged with counts of attempted murder, attempted murder of a police officer, aggravated battery and aggravated discharge of a firearm.
The lack of hate crime charges at the start of the case infuriated members of the Jewish community. But Snelling said investigators needed time to firm up the felony count as a hate crime and terrorism charge.
“There must be sufficient evidence to support hate crimes and terrorism charges and it was important we took our time to thoroughly investigate and confirm that this was indeed a crime of that nature,” he said. “We did not secure these charges because of public pressure or media attention.”
Detectives combed through the suspect’s phone which showed he planned to target Jewish community members leading up to the shooting, Snelling added.
A terrorism charge is rarely lodged, Cook County State Attorney Kim Foxx noted.
“We underscore the gravity of targeting specific communities with violence intended to intimidate or terrorize,” she said. “This charge sends a clear message.”
Mayor Brandon Johnson, who was blasted earlier the week for not acknowledging that the victim was Jewish in an initial statement, called the hate directed at the Jewish community “hideous.”
“There is absolutely no place in Chicago for antisemitism,” Johnson said during the press conference. “There’s no place in our city for hatred toward the Jewish community.”
Abdallahi, who is from the West African country Mauritania, entered San Diego in March 2023 and was screened by border agents before he was released into the country, officials previously told The Post.
When the migrant was caught at the border last year, authorities didn’t find any criminal or terrorist histories linked to him, sources said.
Abdallahi was due in court on Tuesday, but that’s been delayed because he remains in the hospital, Foxx said.
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