NEW YORK: A leader of a New York City mosque and a friend were fatally shot in daylight after they left afternoon prayers last week. Police said Imam Maulama Akonjee, 55, and Thara Uddin, 64, were shot in the head as they left the Al-Furqan Jame Masjid mosque. No motive has been established, and there was no reason to believe the men were shot because they were Muslims. A senior police official said, "There's nothing in the preliminary investigation to indicate that they were targeted because of their faith." Police said video surveillance showed the victims were approached from behind by a man in a dark polo shirt and shorts, who shot them. However, members of the Bangladeshi Muslim community said they want the shootings to be treated like a hate crime. A rally was lead with more than 100 people in attendance, all chanting, "We want justice!"
On the other hand, sources said the motive in the killings may also be the result of an ongoing feud between Muslims and Hispanics. They said a group of Muslims allegedly attacked some Hispanics a few weeks back, and the shooting might be their way of getting back at them. The assassin quickly approaches Akonjee and Uddin, from behind at Liberty Ave and 79th St. and shot them both in the head at close range. "This guy looks like he has shot a gun before. You don't walk up behind someone, even from 5 feet, and just get two head shots. How many times you see cops fire 16 times and they hit the guy only twice?" a police source said.
Mayor Bill de Blasio vowed the NYPD would bring the killer of the two Bangladeshi men to justice. "This weekend our city was stung by violence that devastated a congregation and unsettled a community. When religious leaders are targeted, we all bear the pain those in Ozone Park feel most personally today. While we do not yet know the motivation for the murders of Maulama Akonjee and Thara Uddin, we do know that our Muslim communities are in the perpetual cross hairs of bigotry."
