Oscar Morel appeared in Queens Criminal Court in relation to Saturday’s shooting death of Imam Maulama Alauddin Akonjee, 55, and his friend, Thara Udin, 64, on Saturday as they left Al-Furquan Jame Masjid mosque, according to court records.
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On Monday, the New York Police Department said Mr Morel had been charged with two counts of second-degree murder.
The suspect, Oscar Morel, 35, was originally arrested Sunday night on charges related to a hit-and-run accident, NY police Chief of Detectives Bob Boyce said Monday night at a news conference.
Oscar Morel, 35, of the borough of Brooklyn, was charged with second-degree murder just hours after hundreds of mourners gathered for the outdoor funeral of the two men on Monday. They later learned that a vehicle matching that description struck a bicyclist nearby only 10 minutes after shooting. Ozone Park, a diverse, largely working-class area, is home to a growing number of Muslims of Bangladeshi heritage.
Police have not yet released a motive for the shootings.
Members of the NYPD, the mayor said, would be out in full force protecting community institutions and protecting Muslim communities all over the city.
“We looked at the two cars and they were identical. we looked at stickers and decals on each of the windshields, and they seemed identical”, Boyce said.
They also say he admitted to both owning a Chevrolet truck seen near the scene of the crime and that his image is shown in surveillance video from near the attack. “That’s certainly on the table, a hate crime”.
Meanwhile, the funeral of the slain Bangladeshi nationals was conducted in NY where several hundred Muslims gathered. Morel’s family members declined to comment.
The bicyclist who was hit by the suspect’s auto reported the vehicle, a black GMC Trailblazer, and the license plate to authorities.
Police have arrested a suspect in Saturday’s shooting of an imam and his assistant, and reports say it might have been spurred because of a dispute over parking. The NYPD found a revolver at his residence and believe he is the shooter, according to thePost. This news story is related to Latest/142883-New-York-man-charged-in-slaying-of-Muslim-imam-assistant/ – breaking news, latest news, pakistan ne.
The suspect may have left behind another victim who unwittingly held the clue that solved the crime, the New York Daily News reported quoting police sources as saying.
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But he added that regardless of what is determined, “there is anxiety within the community nationwide and in NY about the toxic atmosphere against Muslims”.
