The killing of Imam Alala Uddin Akongi and assistant Thara Uddin has left the community devastated ever since they were shot in the head on Saturday while walking through Ozone Park.
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The motive of the gunman remains unknown, but the ceremony featured several speakers who said they believed the victims were targeted due to their religion.
“This is a pain we all feel”, de Blasio said.
After the ceremony, part of the crowd marched to the spot a few blocks away where the shooting took place. Boyce said video pulled from the scene of the hit-and-run showed that the cars were identical.
Investigators said on Monday that the auto matched the description of one involved in an unsolved hit-and-run crash in Brooklyn. The cyclist was able to note down the car’s licence plate and passed the information to police.
Police investigating the shooting of a Muslim priest and his assistant have arrested a “person of interest” as officers continue to try and determine whether the two slain men were the victims of a hate crime.
The man intentionally bumped their vehicle with his auto before he was placed in handcuffs, they said.
The Hate Crimes unit is helping with the investigation, but police say that there is no reason to believe the incident was a hate crime at this point. On Sunday, the NYPD released a sketch of the shooter showing a bearded man with dark hair and glasses.
The shooting appeared to be the most violent attack against local Muslim leaders in recent years, said Ibrahim Hooper, national communications director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
“We’re looking at him for both crimes”, Boyce said.
“There is a deep sense of mourning and an overwhelming cry for justice to be served”, Nasher said. They had both just left the al-Furqan Jame mosque. Even so, police were not ruling out any possibility, she added.
“Unfortunately, such incidents have the potential to make communities feel unsafe and vulnerable”, said Evan R. Bernstein, director of the ADL’s NY region. Police would not confirm the suspect was in custody but the Daily News says he was busted Sunday night after he rammed an unmarked police vehicle after a “brief surveillance”.
Police on Sunday released a sketch of a suspect, asking for public assistance in identifying the “adult male with a medium complexion, last seen wearing a dark colored shirt and blue shorts”.
News reports, citing police sources, speculated the shootings may have been a major escalation of a neighborhood dispute over parking between Muslims and Hispanics in the neighborhood, which is home to a growing population of Bangladeshi Muslims.
A police official who spoke with The New York Times on the condition of anonymity said he felt the shooting was planned and the victims targeted, although the official did not give clear thoughts on a possible motive.
Akonjee was carrying $1,000 in cash with him at the time of the attack but the money was not taken, The New York Times reported.
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“Somebody has taken the law in their own hands”, said Mr Uddin, who is not related to Thara Uddin.
