An illegal migrant accused of shooting an Orthodox Jewish man multiple times as he walked to a Chicago synagogue last month scoured his cellphone for synagogues and Jewish community centers in the area before the attack, according to reports.
Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi, a Mauritanian national, has been charged with hate crime and terrorism in connection with the October 26 attack, in which he allegedly shot a 39-year-old Jewish man in the shoulder.
Abdallahi’s cellphone was found to contain over 100 “antisemitic and pro-Hamas” images and videos, according to the Chicago Sun Times.
Prosecutors said that Abdallahi’s phone data showed he had been seeking out targets for days before the shooting, which occurred in Chicago’s West Rogers Park neighborhood. The victim, who was wearing a kippah, was struck in the shoulder.
Abdallahi was identified less than 30 minutes after the shooting, and allegedly shot at responders before police returned fire, striking him multiple times. He was hospitalized with gunshot wounds.
Prosecutors described the attack as a “planned and calculated” attempt to kill the victim and law enforcement officers.
Abdallahi’s phone also showed he had mapped out a synagogue just a block from the shooting scene and another in Hyde Park, as well as a Jewish Community center and a gun store in suburban Lyons, prosecutors said.
Antisemitic and Pro-Hamas Materials Found on the Phone of the Man Accused of Shooting a Jewish Man in Brooklyn, Illinois
The incident has sparked concerns about security and sanctuary policies in the area. The US Department of Homeland Security deems illegal immigrants from Mauritania, which is a majority Muslim country in northwest Africa, as “special interest aliens” due to security concerns, and they are supposed to receive additional vetting. However, immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had initially stated that it had no interaction with Abdallahi, and it appears that “sanctuary” policies in Cook County, Illinois, prohibit local authorities from cooperating with ICE’s detainer request on Abdallahi.