Antisemitic attack suspect commits suicide in jail cell

Illegal migrant from Mauritania, who was facing attempted murder and terrorism charges, apparently hung himself in jail.

By World Israel News Staff

An illegal migrant who shot and wounded a Jewish man in an unprovoked antisemitic attack was found dead in his Chicago jail cell on Sunday evening, after he apparently committed suicide.

Sidi Mohammad Abdallahi, 22, a Mauritanian national who was illegally present in the U.S., shot a Jewish man walking to synagogue in later October, in the heavily Orthodox enclave of West Rogers Park.

Abdallahi then engaged in a shootout with police who responded to the scene, and was seriously wounded in the firefight with officers.

The man was initially charged while still in a local hospital with charges including attempted murder and terrorism.

After being discharged from the hospital, he was transported to the medical ward of the Cook County Jail.

There, he was found “unresponsive” by jail staff. It appears that Adballahi took his own life.

A report from CBS News indicated that the suspect hung himself.

In a statement, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office said that Abdallahi gave no indication that he was suicidal, and was not on suicide watch at the time of the incident.

Officials added that there is no sign of foul play in Abdallahi’s death, and that an autopsy will be performed by a local coroner.

In late November, prosecutors disclosed that Abdallah had searched for synagogues and Jewish community centers in the days leading up to the shooting.

They reported that he had saved over 100 antisemitic and pro-Hamas images and videos on his phone. Digital evidence indicated that Abdallah had deliberately planned to target and kill Jews, according to authorities.

“This was not anything but a planned attack … an attempted assassination of these people,” Assistant State’s Attorney Anne McCord Rodgers said in a media statement.

“This was a calculated plan, on a public street… and an attempted slaughter of that person and law enforcement officers.”