Police have not given a motive for the fatal shootings of Maulama Akonjee and his assistant Thara Uddin, but they have released a sketch of suspect

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

New York police are searching for the man who fatally shot the leader of a mosque and his friend as they left afternoon prayers in their working-class neighborhood on the border between Queens and Brooklyn.

Imam and second man killed after prayers in New York Read more

Imam Maulama Akonjee, 55, and his friend and assistant Thara Uddin, 64, were killed by shots to the head on Saturday afternoon at about 1.55pm in Ozone Park, police said. The men were taken to the hospital in critical condition and died there, deputy police inspector Henry Sautner told reporters.

They were shot about two blocks away from the al-Furqan Jame Masjid mosque, prompting fears by members of the community that the killings could be rooted in intolerance.

But police have not yet ascribed any motive to the attack. “There’s nothing in the preliminary investigation to indicate that they were targeted because of their faith,” Sautner said.

Sautner said video surveillance showed a man, dressed in a dark polo shirt and shorts, approaching them from behind and shooting them. The man then fled south on 79th street, with the gun still in his hand. Police released a sketch early Sunday of a dark-haired, bearded man wearing glasses. Police said witnesses described the suspect as a man with a medium complexion.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A sketch provided by the NYPD on Sunday shows a man believed to have shot the leader of a mosque. Photograph: AP

An NYPD spokesperson told the Guardian police had made no arrests by early Sunday.



On Saturday night, more than 100 mourners and members of the largely Bangladeshi Muslim community rallied near the elevated subway tracks and chanted, “We want justice.”

Earlier in the day, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a civil rights group, held a press conference near the crime scene. In a statement, Afaf Nasher, executive director of the New York chapter, pleaded for “anyone with information about this attack to contact appropriate law enforcement authorities.

“The perpetrator of these senseless killings must be swiftly apprehended and face the full force of the law,” he added.

“We are peace-loving,” said Kobir Chowdhury, a leader at another local mosque. “Read my lips: this is a hate crime.”

A spokesman for New York mayor Bill de Blasio said he was “closely monitoring the NYPD investigation of this tragedy.

“While it is too early to tell what led to these murders, it is certain that the NYPD will stop at nothing to ensure justice is served,” press secretary Eric Phillips said in a statement, promising support for the Muslim community.

Sarah Sayeed, De Blasio’s staff liaison to Muslim communities, attended the rally, telling reporters she understood the residents’ fears “because I feel it myself.

“I understand the anger,” she said. “But it’s very important to mount a thorough investigation.”

The imam’s 28-year-old daughter, Naima Akonjee, told the Associated Press her father, a pious man who gave compelling readings from the Qur’an, didn’t “have any problems with anyone”.

She said the imam and Uddin were close friends who always walked together to the mosque from their homes on the same street.

“I’m not sure what kind of an animal would kill that man,” the imam’s 26-year-old nephew Rahi Majid told the New York Daily News. “He would not hurt a fly. You would watch him come down the street and watch the peace he brings.”

Letitia James, New York’s public advocate, said in a statement: “This violence is as alarming as it is senseless.” She urged the police department to “vigorously” investigate the slayings.

Members of the community said they had felt animosity of late, with people cursing while passing the mosque. Shahin Chowdhury said he had advised people to be careful walking around, especially when in traditional clothing like what the imam had been wearing.

He called Akonjee a “wonderful person” with a voice that made his Qur’an readings especially compelling. Worshipper Millat Uddin said Akonjee had led the mosque for about two years.

“The community’s heart is totally broken,” said Uddin, who is not related to Thara Uddin. “It’s a great misery. It’s a great loss to the community and it’s a great loss to the society.”