A suspect was reportedly arrested Sunday in the shooting death of a New York City imam and his associate.
The New York Post reported that the unidentified 35-year-old man was arrested in Brooklyn hours after a video of the murder was released. The paper reported the man was tracked through a Chevy Trailblazer similar to the one that the gunman was seen getting into at the scene of the crime.
The man has yet to be charged.
Imam Maulama Akonjee, 55, and his associate Thara Uddin, 64, were killed near the Al-Furquan Jame Masjid mosque in Queens as they left afternoon prayers on Saturday in their traditional religious garb. Both men were shot in the head.
“This was a hate crime. One hundred percent, there’s no doubt about it,” said Monir Chowdhury, who worshipped daily with the two men.
He said he had moved to the community because of its large Bangladeshi immigrant population, but in recent months has been harassed by people shouting anti-Muslim epithets.
The video shows the gunman pumping rounds into the two men in Ozone Park at around 2 p.m. Police sources told The Post that they believe the murderer “knew the imam and knew his schedule.”
