Police said Imam Maulama Akonjee, 55, originally from Bangladesh and 64-year-old Thara Uddin were shot in the head as they left the Al-Furqan Jame Masjid mosque in the Ozone Park section of Queens shortly before 2 p.m. Both men were later pronounced dead. Police said no motive had been established and there was no reason to believe the men were shot because they were Muslim. No suspects were in custody late Saturday.
This undated photo provided by Abdul Chowdhury, Imam Maulama Akonjee is shown. Akonjee and another man died in a fatal shooting Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016, as they left the Al-Furqan Jame Masjid mosque in the Queens borough of New York after prayers. Police say that motive has yet to be determined.
"There's nothing in the preliminary investigation to indicate that they were targeted because of their faith," said Deputy Inspector Henry Sautner of the New York Police Department. Sautner said video surveillance showed the victims were approached from behind by a man in a dark polo shirt and shorts who shot them and then fled with the gun still in his hand.
The imam's daughter, Naima Akonjee, said her father and Uddin were close friends who always walked together to the mosque from their homes on the same street. Members of the Bangladeshi Muslim community served by the mosque said they want the shootings to be treated as a hate crime. More than 100 people attended a rally Saturday night and chanted "We want justice!"
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, an advocacy group, held a news conference near the shooting scene, where Kobir Chowdhury, a leader at another local mosque, said, "Read my lips: This is a hate crime" directed at Islam. "We are peace-loving." Apart from occasional complaints concerning our very loud calls-to-prayers our neighbours are mostly fine with us, he added.
Members of the community had felt animosity lately, with people cursing while passing the mosque, said worshipper Shahin Chowdhury. He said he had advised people to be careful walking around, especially when in traditional clothing.
He called the imam a "wonderful person" with a voice that made his Koran readings especially compelling. Worshipper Millat Uddin said Akonjee had led the mosque for about two years and was a very pious man. "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." Naima Akonjee, 28, one of the imam's seven children, said she rushed to her parents' home after the shooting. She said her father used to call her just to check up on whether she had eaten properly. She'd tell him, "Why are you caring about me?" "And he said, 'If I'm not caring about you, who will?'" she recalled.
Neighbors also described Uddin as a
pious and thoughtful man who prayed five times a day and went to the mosque.
While at home, they said he would water his garden and one next door. "A
very honest, wise man ... (And) a very helpful guy," said neighbor
Mohammed Uddin, who is not a relation of Thara Uddin's.
An Imam originally from Bangladesh and his associate were killed
Saturday in Queens, NY, shortly after leaving the mosque where they were saying
their afternoon prayers.
The victims were identified by the NYPD
as Imam Maulama Akonjee, 55 and Thara Uddin, 65. Both men were shot at close
range in the head, just a block away from the mosque shortly before 2pm. The
Imam was pronounced dead at the scene, while Uddin died four hours later at
Jamaica Hospital.
The shooter, according to Deputy Inspector
Henry Sautner from the 106th precinct, remains at large. According to Sautner,
the shooter is a “male with medium complexion dressed in a dark polo shirt and
shorts.” The authorities added that the motive has not been determined, but
community members, predominantly Muslims, are calling the crime a hate
crime. Most blame the shooting on GOP
presidential candidate Donald Trump and former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
“That’s not what America is about,” Khairul Islam, 33, a local resident
told the Daily News. “We blame Donald Trump for this. Trump and his drama has
created Islamophobia.”
Another Imam, whose name is unknown at the moment, also blamed the real
estate mogul and former NYC mayor for the shooting. “For those in leadership
like Trump and Mr. Giuliani, and other members of other institutions that
project Islam and Muslims as the enemy, this is the end result of their
wickedness,” the Imam said at a gathering of Muslims protesting the shooting.
Other Muslim gatherings were chanting “This is Donald Trump’s fault,”
and “Muslim hate crime.”
Witnesses providing leads to the NYPD
described the shooter as a tall man of Hispanic descent. The NYPD is currently
conducting an extensive canvass of the area for video and seeking additional
witnesses as the shooter remains at large.
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| Police-released mug shot of the killer. A Muslim? |
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