Suspect in Chicago shooting of Jewish man on way to synagogue faces terrorism and hate crime charges

The Chicago Jewish community initially expressed outrage after the Police Department named the suspect involved in Saturday’s shooting without labelling the incident as a hate crime or even identifying the victim as Jewish.

“The victim was a Jewish man, who was wearing traditional Jewish garb, walking to a Jewish place of worship on the Jewish day of rest,” 50th Ward Alderwoman Debra Silverstein wrote on Wednesday in response to a tweet from Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, which offered condolences to the victim but did not mention his Jewish identity.

“Don’t erase his identity and don’t try to minimise the fear and anxiety my community feels after this attack.”

Johnson later acknowledged the targeted nature of the shooting, saying on Thursday: “This is not just an attack against our beloved community of Jewish people, this was an attack against us as a city,” Johnson said. “Antisemitism 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 based on their beliefs, their religion, their identity.”

Police shot Abdallahi and he was taken to hospital in critical condition, though he was released from hospital on Saturday afternoon. He also currently faces six counts of attempted first-degree murder, seven counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm and one count of aggravated battery with the discharge of a firearm. His next court appearance is scheduled for 7 November.

The victim, who was shot in the shoulder, was treated in hospital and later discharged.

The police’s early omission of a hate crime charge led some in the Jewish community to suspect a cover-up.  

Richard Goldberg, Chicago-based senior advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, was in contact with several Jewish community leaders who met with CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling and his leadership team on Sunday in a private briefing, and said the police “acknowledged privately that this was a hate crime, but they said they cannot say that publicly because that would inflame tensions and potentially lead to accusations of Islamophobia against the Chicago Police Department.”

During the meeting, convened by Silverstein and attended by Jewish leaders from Agudah of Illinois and the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago (JUF), CPD reportedly confirmed that while shooting at officers, the suspect shouted out “Allahu Akbar”. However, CPD maintains that the intention and context of the statement remain unclear.

“The statement that was made while he was engaging our officers is nothing that we could bring in as evidence at this point that would support any motive against his actions towards our officers as well as towards our victim,” Chief of Detectives Antoinette Ursitti told CNN at a news conference on Tuesday.

"This is the most toxic environment for the Jewish community in the history of the city of Chicago with the mayor, hands down,” Goldberg said.

Dan Goldwin, Chief Public Affairs Officer for JUF, acknowledged that the Jewish community “has problems” with Mayor Johnson, who recently appointed a new Chicago Board of Education president accused of making numerous antisemitic statements following the October 7 Hamas attack, but said that at the moment, “we have no indication that he’s pushing the scale one way or the other in terms of a hate crime charge.”

Snelling said on Thursday: “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.

“We will never go out in public, make statements, allegations, accusations or attempt to bring charges without any proof of what we’re attempting to charge someone for."

It is not uncommon for hate crime charges to be added after criminal charges are first filed.

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx told CNN on Thursday: “It is rare to bring terrorism charges and the count against Abdallahi underscores the gravity of the crime.

“This charge sends a clear message: Any acts that seek to destabilise our communities through fear and hatred will face the fullest measure of accountability under the law,” Foxx said. “The efforts to engage in this crime were not spur-of-the-moment, they were not simply to rattle at the time, but to inflict terror.”

Silverstein wrote in a statement on Thursday: “While we are relieved that authorities are treating this attack with the seriousness it deserves, this development is deeply unsettling. I share in the fear and unease that our community is feeling.”

The victim was reportedly released from hospital on Saturday afternoon. Goldwin, who has been in contact with the victim’s uncle, a prominent rabbi in the Chicago area, said the victim typically walks to shul with his two young daughters, but “for reasons unknown, this time he chose to walk alone.”

The FBI’s Chicago division is reportedly consulting with police as part of the investigation.

Silverstein, CPD and the FBI have not responded to requests for comments.