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| Imam and His Assistant Killed in a Shooting Near a Mosque in Queens | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A gunman shot and killed an imam and his assistant on the street near their mosque in Queens on Saturday afternoon, the police said. | A gunman shot and killed an imam and his assistant on the street near their mosque in Queens on Saturday afternoon, the police said. |
| The police said the imam, Maulana Akonjee, 55, and Thara Uddin, 64, were shot shortly before 2 p.m. near the mosque, Al-Furqan Jame Masjid, in the Ozone Park neighborhood. Officers found them with gunshot wounds to their heads when they arrived at the scene, at the corner Liberty Avenue and 79th Street. | The police said the imam, Maulana Akonjee, 55, and Thara Uddin, 64, were shot shortly before 2 p.m. near the mosque, Al-Furqan Jame Masjid, in the Ozone Park neighborhood. Officers found them with gunshot wounds to their heads when they arrived at the scene, at the corner Liberty Avenue and 79th Street. |
| Misba Abdin, 47, who attends the mosque and is a leader of a nonprofit in the neighborhood, said the men had just left a prayer session at the mosque. The police said Mr. Akonjee and Mr. Uddin were approached from behind by a man wearing a dark polo shirt and shorts, who was seen running away after they were shot, according to witnesses and video footage from the area. | Misba Abdin, 47, who attends the mosque and is a leader of a nonprofit in the neighborhood, said the men had just left a prayer session at the mosque. The police said Mr. Akonjee and Mr. Uddin were approached from behind by a man wearing a dark polo shirt and shorts, who was seen running away after they were shot, according to witnesses and video footage from the area. |
| Police said that Mr. Uddin was Mr. Akonjee’s assistant. | Police said that Mr. Uddin was Mr. Akonjee’s assistant. |
| Henry Sautner, a deputy inspector in the New York Police Department, said the police had not determined a motive for the shooting. “There’s nothing in the preliminary investigation that would indicate that they were targeted by their faith,” he said. | Henry Sautner, a deputy inspector in the New York Police Department, said the police had not determined a motive for the shooting. “There’s nothing in the preliminary investigation that would indicate that they were targeted by their faith,” he said. |
| Still, the shooting shook the Bangladeshi residents who live in the neighborhood and attend that mosque and others there, on the border of Brooklyn and Queens. | Still, the shooting shook the Bangladeshi residents who live in the neighborhood and attend that mosque and others there, on the border of Brooklyn and Queens. |
| Hundreds of Ozone Park residents rallied Saturday evening at the crime scene, chanting, “We want justice!” over the sounds of the subway overhead and helicopters in the air. | Hundreds of Ozone Park residents rallied Saturday evening at the crime scene, chanting, “We want justice!” over the sounds of the subway overhead and helicopters in the air. |
| Eric A. Ulrich, a City Council member who represents the area, said that the video footage would be key to identifying the shooter. “We are going to need your help identifying him,” he told the crowd. | Eric A. Ulrich, a City Council member who represents the area, said that the video footage would be key to identifying the shooter. “We are going to need your help identifying him,” he told the crowd. |
| Many there said that the nature of the shooting, in the middle of the day with no obvious motive, led them to believe the men were targeted. | Many there said that the nature of the shooting, in the middle of the day with no obvious motive, led them to believe the men were targeted. |
| “It could have been me over here,” said Kobir Chowdhury, 40, the president of Masjid Al-Aman, a nearby mosque. Mr. Chowdhury said he believed the shooting was motivated by intolerance. | “It could have been me over here,” said Kobir Chowdhury, 40, the president of Masjid Al-Aman, a nearby mosque. Mr. Chowdhury said he believed the shooting was motivated by intolerance. |
| Mr. Abdin said that Mr. Akonjee lived in the neighborhood and described him as a man with no enemies. “He is a very religious, pious person, he doesn’t talk, unless he acts,” Mr. Abdin said. “He just comes to the mosque and comes home. He has no outside world.” | Mr. Abdin said that Mr. Akonjee lived in the neighborhood and described him as a man with no enemies. “He is a very religious, pious person, he doesn’t talk, unless he acts,” Mr. Abdin said. “He just comes to the mosque and comes home. He has no outside world.” |
| Mr. Chowdhury also had kind words for Mr. Akonjee. “There are a ton of imams, but he was a imam who you would want to hear his sermon.” | Mr. Chowdhury also had kind words for Mr. Akonjee. “There are a ton of imams, but he was a imam who you would want to hear his sermon.” |