An American mosque imam was killed in New Jersey

  New Jersey, January 4, 2024  (LANA) - The imam of an American mosque was killed by gunfire targeting him in front of his mosque in Newark, New Jersey, neighboring New York, while the authorities ruled out that the crime had occurred with racist motives.

  Matt Platkin, the Attorney General for the State of New Jersey, said on Thursday that the dead man was called Hassan Sharif. He was hit by several gunshot wounds and was taken to the hospital, where he died.

He added: "We do not yet know the motive behind this crime, but the evidence collected so far does not indicate that it was racially motivated or a terrorist act."

"In light of global events and the increasing prejudice experienced by many communities throughout our state, especially the Muslim community, many in New Jersey are now possessed by an increasing sense of fear." He said.

Matt Platkin also added that the number of Muslims in New Jersey is about 300,000 people. While the Transportation Security Administration announced that the deceased had been working as a security auditor at Newark Airport since 2006.

=Lana=