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Chicago Police Announce Hate Crime, Terror Charges Against Gunman Accused of Shooting Orthodox Jew
Brandon Johnson, Mayor of Chicago, speaks during Day 1 of the Democratic National Convention (DNC), at the United Center, in Chicago, Illinois, US, Aug. 19, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Mike Segar
JNS.org — Chicago is adding one felony count each of terror and hate-crime charges to the 14 felony charges it has brought against Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi, 22, who is accused of shooting a 39-year-old Jewish man who was walking to synagogue on Shabbat, Chicago Police superintendent Larry Snelling announced on Thursday.
“Since this shooting occurred, our investigative response team has worked their fingers to the bone to determine a motive,” Snelling said of the probe of Abdallahi, who is also accused of firing at police officers and paramedics on Oct. 26.
Abdallahi’s scheduled appearance in court on Tuesday was delayed, while he remains in the hospital from injuries that he sustained in a two-and-a-half-minute shootout with police officers. He is now slated to appear in court on Nov. 7, Kim Foxx, the state’s attorney for Cook County, Ill., said at a press conference at Chicago Police Department headquarters at 4:30 pm local time.
Snelling and Foxx spoke alongside Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who has faced intense criticism from the Chicago Jewish community for issuing a statement days only after the shooting and for not mentioning that the victim was visibly Jewish. Police did not initially announce hate-crime charges among the 14 felony charges.
“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,” Snelling said at the press conference.
“I want to make this clear to everybody here, everybody in every community: We did not secure these charges because of public pressure or because of media attention,” the superintendent said. “The responsibility that we have in law enforcement is that 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.”
“This shooting is deeply personal to members of our Jewish community — we know that — but this shooting should be personal to everyone across the city,” Snelling added. “We have a diverse city. We live in a very diverse city, and anytime someone suffers violence, especially a shooting, we should be outraged no matter where it occurs in our neighborhoods and across our city.”
Snelling said that investigators couldn’t interview the suspect due to the injuries he sustained, so detectives went through digital evidence to establish the case.
“Evidence from the offender’s phone indicated he planned the shooting and specifically targeted people of Jewish faith,” Snelling said. “This evidence allowed us to secure the terrorism and hate crime charges.”
‘Wicked behavior’
A reporter asked Johnson, the Chicago mayor, why he didn’t initially mention that the victim was visibly Jewish, noting that Chicago officials and the Anti-Defamation League were critical of that omission.
“Well, look, it’s important to know that my responsibility as the mayor of the City of Chicago is to keep every single community safe, and I take that responsibility seriously,” Johnson said.
“It is very clear in the evidence that has been brought forward that this individual acted to not only strike fear into the Jewish community, but their action was very clear that there’s hatred towards the Jewish community,” he added. “I’m going to continue to do my part to ensure that the Jewish community knows that they are loved and seen and heard.”
Johnson said that he is “appalled and sickened by the wicked behavior that came from this individual, and as someone that comes to this job with a deep sense of faith and moral clarity, my stance in my position is lived out every single day in this job.”
“The Jewish community is not alone,” he added. “We’re standing firm with our Jewish siblings, as I’ve always had.”
Johnson has also drawn criticism from Chicago Jews for breaking a tie in the City Council in February in favor of a resolution that called for a ceasefire in Israel without referring to the hostages or to Hamas.
“My words are not as powerful as my actions, and our actions are clear,” Johnson said at the press conference. “Charges have been brought, the full force of government is on display and the Jewish community can be assured that we’re using every aspect of government to ensure that they are safe.”
He added that “there is absolutely no place in Chicago for antisemitism. There’s no place in our city for hatred directed towards our Jewish community.”
Johnson said that as a city leader, husband, and father, “”t grieves me and it breaks my heart, knowing that our Jewish community doesn’t feel safe and secure in our beloved city.”
“This is not just an attack against our beloved community of Jewish people, it’s an attack against us as a city,” he said. “Antisemitism in Chicago does not reflect the soul of Chicago. Everyone in our city deserves to feel safe.”
‘Deeply concerned’
“Hate crimes are not just crimes against an individual, but are attempts to disrupt the social fabric that unites us all,” Foxx, the county attorney, said. “By bringing terrorism charges, and I will acknowledge that it is rare that we bring terrorism charges, we underscore the gravity of targeting specific communities with violence, intended to intimidate or terrorize.”
“We understand that what happened last Saturday stoked incredible fear in the hearts of those who lived in that community, who practice the Jewish faith, in our entire city,” she said.
Sarah Van Loon, Chicago regional director of the American Jewish Committee, told JNS that “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,” she said.
Debra Silverstein, the alderman of Chicago’s 50th Ward who is Jewish, also spoke at the press conference. She thanked Chicago Police for their efforts, but did not thank the mayor.
“To my community, I want to thank you for your patience. I know it’s been a very, very difficult time for all of us,” she said.
“I do just want to say one thing about the Jewish community. We are a strong, united, resilient community and we will remain that way,” she said. “I know that public safety is our highest concern, and I give my community my word that I will continue to advocate for the safety of everyone in my community, and I will work together with our friends in the police department to make sure that stays safe.”
Abdallahi has been assigned a public defender, NBC 5 Chicago reported. The defendant reportedly entered the country illegally.
“We know he’s not from Chicago,” Snelling said in response to a question. He said it would be irresponsible to comment on something that is still being investigated by the police and “federal partners.”
A WGN reporter asked the speakers at the press conference to respond to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirming to the outlet that Abdallahi is a Mauritanian national.
“What we’re doing today is announcing the charges,” Foxx, the county attorney said. “Next week, when we do the full on proffer regarding — we can confirm the information that you have. Again, this person is presumed innocent until proven guilty.”
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Israel for First Time Claims Responsibility for Killing of Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran
Iranians attend the funeral procession of assassinated Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, Iran, Aug. 1, 2024. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Monday acknowledged for the first time that Israel killed Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July.
“These days, when the Houthi terrorist organization is firing missiles at Israel, I want to convey a clear message to them at the beginning of my remarks: We have defeated Hamas, we have defeated Hezbollah, we have blinded Iran’s defense systems and damaged the production systems, we have toppled the Assad regime in Syria, we have dealt a severe blow to the axis of evil, and we will also deal a severe blow to the Houthi terrorist organization in Yemen, which remains the last to stand,” Katz said during an event honoring defense ministry personnel.
Israel will “damage their strategic infrastructure, and we will behead their leaders. Just as we did to Haniyeh, [Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar, and [Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah in Tehran, Gaza, and Lebanon [respectively] — we will do it in Hodeidah and Sana’a,” Katz continued. “Whoever raises a hand against Israel will have their hand cut off, and the long arm of the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] will strike them and settle the score.”
Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis are all internationally designated terrorist organizations backed by Iran. Katz’s comments came after the Houthi rebels in Yemen fired a ballistic missile at Tel Aviv over the weekend. The Houthis have also been attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea for more than a year, saying they are acting in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza and will prevent all ships from heading to Israeli ports.
Haniyeh, the exiled political chief of Hamas, was killed in an explosion in Iran’s capital city on July 31. Iran had accused Israel of carrying out the assassination and vowed revenge; however, for months the Israeli government had neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for Haniyeh’s death.
Haniyeh was based in Qatar and had been the face of Hamas’s during the Israel-Hamas war, which the Palestinian terroris group launched with its invasion of and massacre across southern Israel last Oct. 7.
Following Haniyeh’s death, Sinwar was named the terrorist group’s overall leader after being its top official in Gaza. Sinwar, who masterminded the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza in October.
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‘Should Scare Every American’: Top Trump Adviser Mike Waltz Explains Dangers of Iran Getting Nuclear Weapons
US Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) speaks on Day 1 of the Republican National Convention (RNC) at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US, July 15, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Mike Segar
US Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL), who was recently tapped to serve as the White House national security adviser for the incoming Trump administration, outlined in a new interview why Iran’s nuclear program could pose a major threat to the United States and must be stopped.
During an interview with Daily Wire co-founder and conservative podcast host Ben Shapiro, Waltz said that his constituents often do not understand how Iran’s nuclear ambitions impact American interests. The lawmaker explained that Iran obtaining nuclear weapons could kick-start an arms race and geopolitical firestorm in the Middle East, potentially forcing the US to become more involved in the region militarily.
“No. 1, if Iran gets a nuke, the Saudis are going to want a nuke, the Turks are going to want a nuke, and the Middle East exploding, not literally but figuratively, in a nuclear arms race should scare every American,” Waltz said.
Though Waltz conceded that nuclear proliferation in the Middle East would not necessarily result in “World War III,” he asserted that it would be “catastrophic for the world.”
The lawmaker added that a nuclear-armed Iran would endanger Israel, which he described as America’s “critical ally, morally and historically and geopolitically,” and that the US should take threats by Iranian leadership to eliminate Israel seriously.
“We should believe [Iran’s so-called ‘supreme leader,’ Ayatollah Ali Khamenei] who intends to wipe Israel off the face of the earth if they have nukes,” Waltz said.
Waltz also praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for “exposing Iran’s air defenses so that they literally are naked right now and on their back foot.” He appeared to be referring to Israel’s precision airstrikes on Iranian military and air defense sites in October which devastated the regime’s air-defense system and ballistic missile program. The strikes were in response to Iran’s ballistic missile barrage against Israel weeks earlier.
Waltz went on to say that the incoming Trump administration plans on “hitting” Iran’s finances throughout the Middle East and stopping the flow of money “out of Tehran into Beirut and into [Iran’s] proxies in Syria.”
Iran has supported several terrorist proxies throughout the Middle East, including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon — both of which have been devastated by Israeli military operations in recent months. The Iranian regime also backed the recently ousted Assad regime in Syria, where Israel launched limited operations to ensure security at its northeastern amid uncertainty about Syria’s future.
“I hope that all of this has Hamas so isolated. They really thought the cavalry was coming from the north with Hezbollah. Now, that has been shown not to be true; Hamas has every exit blocked except one, and that is to release our hostages if you want to live,” Waltz said.
Harsh US sanctions levied on Iran under the Trump administration from 2017-2021 crippled the Iranian economy and led its foreign exchange reserves to plummet. US President-elect Donald Trump and his Republican supporters in the US Congress have criticized the Biden administration for renewing billions of dollars in US sanctions waivers, which had the effect of unlocking frozen funds and allowing the country to access previously inaccessible hard currency.
US intelligence agencies have for years labeled Iran as the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism, noting it devotes significant sums of money and weapons each year to supporting proxies across the Middle East such as Hamas and Hezbollah.
The post ‘Should Scare Every American’: Top Trump Adviser Mike Waltz Explains Dangers of Iran Getting Nuclear Weapons first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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US Far-Left Lawmakers Call for End of Probe Into Spain for Barring Ships Bringing Arms to Israel
US Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) addresses attendees as she takes part in a protest calling for a ceasefire in Gaza outside the US Capitol, in Washington, DC, US, Oct. 18, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Leah Millis
A cohort of American progressive lawmakers has called for the US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) to drop its investigation into Spain for reportedly denying port entry to cargo vessels transporting US weapons to Israel.
Democratic Reps. Rashida Tlaib (MI), Cori Bush (MO) and Summer Lee (PA) on Friday sent a letter to the FMC, expressing “deep concern” over its recently announced investigation into Spain’s decision to “deny port entry to ships carrying weapons bound for the Israeli government.” The three congresswomen lauded Spain for enacting an arms embargo against Israel, citing what they called the “ongoing genocide” of Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel has been fighting Hamas since the terrorist group invaded the Jewish state on Oct. 7, 2023.
“This investigation is a reckless insult to our allies in Spain, which has only sought to enforce in good faith its sovereign national policies and uphold international law, including its treaty obligations to prevent genocide,” the congresswomen wrote.
The lawmakers then lambasted the US for “violating these same obligations and its own domestic laws” by continuing to support Israeli “human rights abuses, war crimes, and credible evidence of genocide. Tlaib, Bush, and Lee did not mention Israel’s efforts to avoid civilian casualties or Hamas’s strategy of using civilian sites for terrorist operations. However, they nonetheless argued that Washington should join Madrid in punishing Jerusalem for its military campaign in Hamas-ruled Gaza.
The FMC, an independent agency of the US government, said it opened its probe into Spain earlier this month after receiving information that the NATO ally had refused to allow at least three cargo vessels — two of which were US-flagged — into its ports.
“The commission is concerned that this apparent policy of denying entry to certain vessels will create conditions unfavorable to shipping in the foreign trade,” the FMC said in a notice published in the Federal Register, official journal of the US federal government, on Dec. 5.
Two of the three incidents noted by the commission involved vessels run by the Danish shipping giant Maersk in November. The other occurred in May, when Spanish officials said they refused permission for the Danish Marianne Danica ship because it was “carrying weapons to Israel” and added they will not allow ships carrying arms for Israel to stop at its ports moving forward.
“Reports that the Government of Spain has denied access to certain US-flagged vessels raise serious concerns. Section 19 of the Merchant Marine Act, 1920, 46 U.S.C. § 42101, authorizes the commission to identify and offset unfavorable shipping conditions in U.S. foreign trade that result from the laws or regulations of a foreign government,” FMC commissioner Louis Sola said in a statement last Thursday. “If confirmed, Spain’s actions could constitute a violation of the law, and could result in substantial offsetting fines on Spanish-flag vessels, limitations on cargo carried between Spain and the United States, and other remedial actions within the commission’s discretion.”
Spain could be fined up to $2.3 million per voyage if the country is found to have interfered with commerce in such a way.
“Disruptions to international trade systems not only threaten global shipping networks, but also compromise the consumer markets they support,” Sola added. “Spain’s uniliteral restrictions on US-flagged vessels could raise questions about the core principles of non-discriminatory practices.”
Spain has been one of Europe’s fiercest critics of Israel following Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel, amid the ensuing war in Gaza.
In October, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez urged other members of the European Union to suspend the bloc’s free trade agreement with Israel over its military campaigns against Hamas in Gaza and the terrorist organization Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Sanchez’s demand came three days after the Spanish premier urged other countries to stop supplying weapons to the Jewish state.
Spain stopped its own defense companies from shipping arms to Israel in October 2023.
In May, Spain officially recognized a Palestinian state, claiming the move was accelerated by the Israel-Hamas war and would help foster a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israeli officials described the decision as a “reward for terrorism.”
Spain, like many other countries around the world, experienced a surge in antisemitic incidents targeting the Jewish community following Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre.
Meanwhile, US lawmakers Tlaib, Bush, and Lee have been among the most outspoken opponents of Israel in the US Congress, falsely accusing the Jewish state of “genocide” and pushing Jerusalem to accept a ceasefire just weeks after the Hamas atrocities of last Oct. 7.
The post US Far-Left Lawmakers Call for End of Probe Into Spain for Barring Ships Bringing Arms to Israel first appeared on Algemeiner.com.