Worshipers arriving for morning prayers at the Omar Mosque in Paterson on Wednesday found it closed, with several blocks cordoned off by police officers who were continuing to search the nearby home of the alleged terrorist behind Tuesday's attack in lower Manhattan.

The suspect, Sayfullo Saipov, an immigrant from Uzbekistan, lives in an apartment building on Genessee Avenue where federal agents and Passaic County sheriff's officers continued to search for details about him. Investigators are trying to learn more about what led Saipov to allegedly drive a rented truck onto a bike path, killing eight people and injuring 11, including two children.

While worshipers said Wednesday that they never saw Saipov at Omar Mosque, neighbors who spoke with The Record and NorthJersey.com on Tuesday night said he and his family worshiped there.

Law enforcement sources said the mosque is not under investigation; the street it sits on is closed to accommodate crowd control and the probe of the adjacent apartment building.

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People outside the mosque on Wednesday said they were horrified by the news and that attacks like the one carried out in New York are contrary to the teachings of their religion and imam.

"For me, whenever anybody does something like this, it's forbidden," said Mohamed Nanaa, who works nearby and attends morning prayers at the mosque. "The Quran says we cannot kill anybody who is innocent for any reason."

Nanaa and Abdallah Abuzid, who lives nearby on East Railway Avenue, also said they have never seen Saipov at the mosque.

"I've never seen him. I've never seen his face," Abuzid said. "If someone does something like this, it is not the mosque."

Nanaa agreed, and said he has known the mosque's imam for several years.

"He forbids all this action," Nanaa said. "He talks very clearly against any violence and any terrorism."

The Omar Mosque on Getty Avenue is in the South Paterson neighborhood, which is home to a large Muslim population. The congregation is made up of mostly people of Middle Eastern background, but also includes a small group of Uzbeks, maybe 8 or 9 people, said Mahmoud Attallah, a former spokesman for the mosque.

This story will be updated.