An illegal immigrant accused of shooting a Jewish man in Chicago on Saturday is now facing felony charges, including hate crime and terrorism.
Sidi Mohammed Abdullahi, 22, has been charged with 14 felonies, among them attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery, and attempted murder of a police officer following the Saturday morning incident, WLS-TV reported.
The victim, a 39-year-old man wearing a yarmulke, was shot without any words exchanged by the gunman. Thankfully, he is expected to recover, according to police.
Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling explained that Abdullahi could not initially be interviewed about his motives, as he was hospitalized following an exchange of gunfire with police, which delayed the hate crime charges.
“Evidence from the offender’s phone indicated he planned the shooting and specifically targeted people of Jewish faith,” Snelling said.
The American Jewish Committee issued a statement in response, saying, “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.”
According to Newsweek, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has placed a detainer on Abdullahi with the Cook County Jail.
