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| Imam and his assistant shot dead in Queens, New York | Imam and his assistant shot dead in Queens, New York |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| An imam and his assistant were shot dead as they walked along a street in the New York borough of Queens. | An imam and his assistant were shot dead as they walked along a street in the New York borough of Queens. |
| The men were approached from behind by a man who shot them both in the head, a police spokesman said. | The men were approached from behind by a man who shot them both in the head, a police spokesman said. |
| Imam Maulama Akonjee, 55, moved to the city from Bangladesh two years ago, reports in New York said. | Imam Maulama Akonjee, 55, moved to the city from Bangladesh two years ago, reports in New York said. |
| Police said there were as yet "no indications" the men were targeted because of their faith. | Police said there were as yet "no indications" the men were targeted because of their faith. |
| A man holding a gun was seen leaving the scene of the shooting in the Ozone Park area, but no-one has been arrested. | A man holding a gun was seen leaving the scene of the shooting in the Ozone Park area, but no-one has been arrested. |
| Police said the suspect had a "medium complexion". | Police said the suspect had a "medium complexion". |
| Imam Akonjee and his assistant Thara Uddin, 64, were shot a short walk from the al-Furqan Jame mosque at about 13:50 local time (17:50 GMT) on Saturday. | Imam Akonjee and his assistant Thara Uddin, 64, were shot a short walk from the al-Furqan Jame mosque at about 13:50 local time (17:50 GMT) on Saturday. |
| "He would not hurt a fly," Imam Akonjee's nephew Rahi Majid, told the New York Daily News. "You would watch him come down the street and watch the peace he brings." | "He would not hurt a fly," Imam Akonjee's nephew Rahi Majid, told the New York Daily News. "You would watch him come down the street and watch the peace he brings." |
| Friends of Imam Akonjee told media he had just left the mosque after prayers when he was shot. The mosque serves the large Bangladeshi community in Ozone Park. | Friends of Imam Akonjee told media he had just left the mosque after prayers when he was shot. The mosque serves the large Bangladeshi community in Ozone Park. |
| Dozens of people from the nearby Muslim community gathered at the scene to mourn and demonstrate, chanting "We want justice". | |
| Some of those attending the rally said the shooting was a hate crime, although police said they were still investigating the motive. | Some of those attending the rally said the shooting was a hate crime, although police said they were still investigating the motive. |
| Milat Uddin, who worships at the mosque, told Associated Press that authorities should treat the killing as a hate crime. | Milat Uddin, who worships at the mosque, told Associated Press that authorities should treat the killing as a hate crime. |
| "We feel really insecure and unsafe in a moment like this," he told CBS New York. "It's really threatening to us, threatening to our future, threatening to our mobility in our neighbourhood, and we're looking for the justice." | "We feel really insecure and unsafe in a moment like this," he told CBS New York. "It's really threatening to us, threatening to our future, threatening to our mobility in our neighbourhood, and we're looking for the justice." |
| "These were two very beloved people. These were community leaders," Afaf Nasher, of the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told Reuters. "There is a deep sense of mourning and an overwhelming cry for justice to be served." | |
| "I understand the fear because I feel it myself. I understand the anger," said Sarah Sayeed, a member of New York mayor Bill De Blasio's staff who works as a liaison with Muslim communities. "But it's very important to mount a thorough investigation." | "I understand the fear because I feel it myself. I understand the anger," said Sarah Sayeed, a member of New York mayor Bill De Blasio's staff who works as a liaison with Muslim communities. "But it's very important to mount a thorough investigation." |