What to Know
- An investigation is underway into whether a relative may be behind the murder of a Muslim leader who was shot outside his mosque in Newark before morning prayers earlier this month, according to three law enforcement sources familiar with the case.
- The murder of Imam Hassan Sharif as he was preparing to open the Masjid Muhammad-Newark mosque on January 3 has led to an intense police raid. Authorities said they had no evidence that religious hatred motivated the imam’s murder, but vowed to protect people of faith amid growing reports of crime attacks across the United States.
- A police source says there is video from the scene of Sharif’s murder that shows a man riding away on a bicycle. Sources say they are investigating whether that individual is related to Sharif.
NEW YORK — An investigation is underway into whether a family member may be behind the murder of a Muslim leader who was shot outside his mosque in Newark before morning prayers earlier this month, according to three law enforcement sources familiar with the case. .
The murder of Imam Hassan Sharif as he was preparing to open the Masjid Muhammad-Newark mosque on January 3 has sparked an intense police investigation. Authorities said they had no evidence that religious hatred motivated the imam’s murder, but vowed to protect people of faith amid growing reports of crime attacks across the United States.
A police source says there is video from the scene of Sharif’s murder that shows a man riding away on a bicycle. Sources say they are investigating whether that individual is related to Sharif.
The family declined to comment to NBC New York on Friday about the matter.
Sharif’s shooting comes amid a growing number of hate crimes against Muslims and Jews since Hamas committed terrorist attacks against Israel on October 7, sparking a war in the Gaza Strip.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, the country’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, recorded more than 2,000 incidents against American Muslims in the first two months since attacks in the Middle East began, up from nearly 800 in the same period last year.
A combined $35,000 reward is being offered for information in Sharif’s murder.
For nearly two decades, Sharif also worked as a transportation security officer for the Transportation Security Administration at Newark Liberty International Airport, said TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein.
“We are deeply saddened to learn of his passing and send our condolences to his family, friends and colleagues,” he said in an emailed statement shortly after his death.
In a video statement posted on its website, the mosque offered prayers and said the community would focus on providing Sharif with his burial. The statement described Sharif as a brother, friend, father and husband and asked the community to be aware of the family’s pain.
Sharif’s death follows other recent killings of religious leaders or at places of worship that authorities said were not related to hate crimes.
In Detroit, authorities said there was not the slightest evidence that the killing of a synagogue leader in his home in October was motivated by anti-Semitism. In Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, authorities said the death of a man outside a mosque was the result of a carjacking.
For more information from NBC News on the case, click here.
2024-01-12 20:24:51
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