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New York (August 18) :\u00a0The search for a motive in the execution-style shootings of an imam and an aide in Queens continued Thursday as leaders of the city\u2019s Muslim community urged vigilance \u2014 fearful of a hate-fueled attack targeting those of the Islamic faith.
\n\u201cLaw enorcement has said the motivation for the killings is not clear at the moment but that is not the way the killings are being received by Muslims in Queens, New York City and nationwide,\u201d said Abul Bhuiyan, president of the Jamaica, Queens-based Islamic Leadership Council of New York, at a City Hall news conference Thursday that included the victims\u2019 relatives, Christian clerics, Jewish rabbis, and elected officials.
\nBhuiyan and others said there is a widespread belief among Muslims that the shootings of Imam Maulana Akonjee, 55, and his friend Thara Uddin, 64, were hate crimes.
\nPolice have arrested Oscar Morel, 35, of Brooklyn in connection with the killings. Both victims were shot in the head as they walked in traditional garb on an Ozone Park street, the NYPD said.
\nMorel faces two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon.
\nInvestigators recovered a revolver in Morel\u2019s basement apartment and ballistic tests showed the bullets found in the bodies of the two men matched the handgun, Queens prosecutors said.
\nThrough his lawyer, Morel has said he did not commit the crime. His next court appearance is Monday.
\nOfficials said it remains a mystery why Akonjee, a popular cleric at al-Furqan Jame Mosque, just two blocks from the shootings, and Uddin, his aide, were gunned down.
\nWhile acknowledging investigators have yet to identify a motive, Mayor Bill de Blasio said GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump\u2019s pledge to temporarily ban Muslims from the United States, has put American Muslims on edge about being attacked.
\n\u201cThe atmosphere of fear . . . in Muslim communities is real and Donald Trump was a big part of that,\u201d de Blasio said at an unrelated event Thursday.
\nNYPD detectives \u201chave looked at every angle,\u201d he said. \u201c. . . They cannot find a motive . . . we\u2019re not going to ascribe a motive unless we\u2019re sure we know the motive.\u201d
\nAn official with the Trump campaign did not return an email seeking comment.
\nOutside City Hall, many in attendance said they were relieved a suspect was in custody but still want answers.
\n\u201cOur hearts are broken,\u2019\u2019 said Momin Ahmed, the son-in-law of Uddin who attended with other family members.
\nChoking back tears, Ahmed said Uddin \u201cwas a peaceful man. I am glad the NYPD caught [Morel] but we want to know the reason and we want justice.\u2019\u2019
\nAfia Uddin, Uddin\u2019s sister in-law, said her six children are too scared to leave their Ozone Park apartment.
\nBhuiyan said he wanted \u201cour fellow New Yorkers to report any and all incidents of bias to law enforcement and to stand against all forms of racism and bigotry.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
New York (August 18) :\u00a0The search for a motive in the execution-style shootings of an imam and an aide in Queens continued Thursday as leaders of the city\u2019s Muslim community urged vigilance \u2014 fearful of a hate-fueled attack targeting those of the Islamic faith. \u201cLaw enorcement has said the motivation for the killings is not […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":27193,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[45,44,2,5,14],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\t\n