Biodun.BBC: Bangladeshi community

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

New York man expected in court over slaying of Muslim imam, assistant

Tue Aug 16, 2016 13H:01 GMT/UTC/ZULU TIME

Man questioned in NYC imam's murder

00:57

A New York man is expected to appear in court on Tuesday after being charged with second-degree murder in the deaths of a New York Muslim imam and his assistant, who were gunned down over the weekend, police said.

The charges against Oscar Morel, 35, of Brooklyn, came on Monday just hours after hundreds of mourners gathered for the outdoor funeral of the two men. The killings in the borough of Queens shocked the neighborhood's Bangladeshi community.

Morel was charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of Imam Maulama Akonjee, 55, and Thara Uddin, 64, a spokesman for the New York Police Department said.

He also was charged with two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. The spokesman did not disclose any possible motive for the shooting.

Police said Morel was being held early on Tuesday morning and was expected to be arraigned later in the day.

Morel had been questioned by police following his arrest on charges related to a hit-and-run traffic accident on Saturday, the day of the shootings.

Akonjee and Uddin were shot in the head at close range after Saturday prayers at the Al-Furqan Jame Mosque in Queens' Ozone Park section.

Police said there was no known connection between the man being questioned and the murder victims.

Mayor Bill de Blasio, addressing the funeral, promised the city would bolster the police presence in the neighborhood even though the motive behind the killings was still unclear.

Police had said earlier that there was no evidence the men were targeted because of their faith but nothing was being ruled out.

Saturday, August 13, 2016

Imam and his assistant shot dead in Queens, New York

A crowd of community members gather at the place where Imam Maulama Akonjee was killed in the Queens borough of New York City, August 13, 2016 — Image captionMembers of the Bangladeshi community in New York have turned out to mourn Imam Akonjee

by Biodun Iginla, BBC News, New York

An imam and his assistant were shot dead as they walked along a street in the New York borough of Queens.

The men were approached from behind by a man who shot them both in the head, a police spokesman said.

Imam Maulama Akonjee, 55, moved to the city from Bangladesh two years ago, reports in New York said.

Police said there were as yet "no indications" the men were targeted because of their faith.

A man holding a gun was seen leaving the scene of the shooting in the Ozone Park area, but no-one has been arrested.

Police said the suspect had a "medium complexion".

Imam Akonjee and his assistant Thara Uddin, 64, were shot a short walk from the al-Furqan Jame mosque at about 13:50 local time (17:50 GMT) on Saturday.

"He would not hurt a fly," Imam Akonjee's nephew Rahi Majid, told the New York Daily News. "You would watch him come down the street and watch the peace he brings."

This undated photo shows Imam Maulama Akonjee, who was shot dead in New York City — Image captionImam Maulama Akonjee was reportedly originally from Bangladesh

A man cries while community members and religious leaders pray together at the Mosque of Imam Maulama Akonjee, Al Furqan Mosque, in the Queens borough of New York City, August 13, 2016 — Image captionThe scene of the killing attracted mourners and demonstrators

Friends of Imam Akonjee told media he had just left the mosque after prayers when he was shot. The mosque serves the large Bangladeshi community in Ozone Park.

Dozens of people from the nearby Muslim community gathered at the scene to mourn and demonstrate, chanting "We want justice".

Some of those attending the rally said the shooting was a hate crime, although police said they were still investigating the motive.

Milat Uddin, who worships at the mosque, told Associated Press that authorities should treat the killing as a hate crime.

"We feel really insecure and unsafe in a moment like this," he told CBS New York. "It's really threatening to us, threatening to our future, threatening to our mobility in our neighbourhood, and we're looking for the justice."

"These were two very beloved people. These were community leaders," Afaf Nasher, of the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told Reuters. "There is a deep sense of mourning and an overwhelming cry for justice to be served."

"I understand the fear because I feel it myself. I understand the anger," said Sarah Sayeed, a member of New York mayor Bill De Blasio's staff who works as a liaison with Muslim communities. "But it's very important to mount a thorough investigation."