New York: A Muslim imam and a second man have been fatally shot while walking home from afternoon prayers at a mosque in the New York City borough of Queens.

The cleric, who police identified as Alauddin Akhonji, 55, and his assistant Tharauddin, 64, were both shot in the head at close range at about 1.50pm local time after leaving the al-Furqan Mosque in the Ozone Park neighbourhood.

Both men were wearing religious garb at the time of shooting.

The men were transported to Jamaica Hospital Medical Centre and died "while life-saving procedures were being performed", said Andrew Rubin, a hospital spokesman.