The suspect accused of shooting a Jewish victim multiple times as he was on his way to the Chicago synagogue in Chicago last week is an illegal Mauritanian immigrant, who was released last year into the U.S.

Four law enforcement sources claim that Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi was arrested in the Border Patrol San Diego Sector on March 20, 2023, and released in the U.S.

He allegedly attacked a 39-year-old male victim in Chicago’s West Rogers Park on Saturday. The suspect was identified by police less than 30 minutes after the shooting. At that time, he is said to have fired at the responders, before the police “returned the fire, hitting the offender.” The victim was wearing traditional Jewish clothing and survived the attack.

The police said that they had recovered an object from the scene. Abdallahi, according to them, was then “placed in custody and transported to a local hospital where he was subsequently charged.” Abdallahi faces 14 felony charges, including six counts of attempted murder.

Mauritania, a country with a majority of Muslims in north-west Africa, is a predominantly Muslim nation. Due to security concerns, the Department of Homeland Security deems illegal migrants from Mauritania to be “special interest foreigners”. They are then supposed to undergo additional DHS vetting.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement had originally said that they had no contact with him. Sources in law enforcement say there is a detainer on Abdallahi – a request to transfer him to ICE custody if he’s released – but “sanctuary policies” in Cook County in Illinois prevent local authorities from cooperating.

Local Jewish leaders think this was a hate crime. However, no charges have yet been filed.

The number of Mauritanian migrants has increased significantly, placing pressure on small towns such as Lockland in Ohio. In this village with a population of only 3,500, more than 3,000 migrants arrived. In a Washington Post report in June, it was found that more than 15,000 Mauritania residents came to the U.S. last year. This is a 2,800% rise over 2022 when only 543 Mauritania residents arrived.

This incident reflects the ongoing concern about terrorists crossing the southern border amid the large number of migrants that have crossed during the border crisis.

In an August report, the House found that DHS had released 99 of the 250 illegal immigrants who were on the terrorist watchlist and encountered by Border Patrol agents at the Southwest border between fiscal years 2020 and 2023. At least 34 other illegal immigrants are still in DHS’s custody but have not yet been removed from the U.S.

Staff interim report found that immigration courts granted bonds to 27 illegally-entry migrants who were on the watchlist and that Border Patrol encountered tens of thousands of migrants, including 2,134 Afghans, 33 347 Chinese, 541 Iranians, 520 Syrians, and 3,104 Uzbeks.

The report states that “that does not include the unknown numbers of potential terrorists who evaded Border Patrol to enter the United States, as part of almost 2 million ‘getaways.’ Since the beginning of the Biden-Harris Administration,”

The threat of foreign nationals was highlighted this month when the authorities announced the arrest and parole of an Afghan national accused of planning an election-day terror plot.