This article is from the source 'rtcom' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.rt.com/usa/355960-imam-murder-suspect-detained/
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
Suspect in murder of New York City imam detained – NBC | Suspect in murder of New York City imam detained – NBC |
(35 minutes later) | |
A man has been detained in connection with the murder of a New York City imam and his assistant who were killed while on their way home from a mosque in Queens, NBC news reported, citing sources. | A man has been detained in connection with the murder of a New York City imam and his assistant who were killed while on their way home from a mosque in Queens, NBC news reported, citing sources. |
The man, who was detained early on Monday morning, reportedly matched the description of the shooter. He was arrested while returning to a car at the scene of the incident, according to NBC. | |
The shooting took place close to the Al-Furqan Jame Masjid mosque in the Ozone Park neighborhood at around 2 pm on Saturday. The 55-year-old imam, Alala Uddin Akongi, and his 64-year-old assistant, Thara Uddin, had been attending afternoon prayers and were in traditional Muslim dress. | |
READ MORE: NYC imam & assistant fatally shot near Queens mosque | |
On Sunday, New York Police Department Deputy Inspector Henry Sautner said that the attacker had been seen fleeing the scene with a gun. Police later released a sketch of the alleged shooter. | |
After a preliminary investigation, police said they believed that a lone gunman shot the two men during a robbery, according to NBC 4 New York. An NYPD spokesman said they didn’t believe the victims had been targeted for being Muslim. | |
Dozens of angry Muslim men gathered at the murder scene after the attack. Khairul Islam, a local resident, told the New York Daily News: “That’s not what America is about, we blame Donald Trump for this ... Trump and his drama has created Islamophobia." |