An imam has died after he was shot outside a mosque in Newark, New Jersey.
The shooting occurred Wednesday morning near the corner of Camden Street and South Orange Avenue.
First responders rushed the imam to University Hospital, where he was received in critical condition.
The imam, identified as Hassan Sharif, died from his wounds on Wednesday afternoon, according to NBC News.
No further details on the suspect or the motive in the shooting have been made available, but officials have not found evidence that bias against Muslims motivated the attack.
“This investigation is ongoing, but at this time we do not have any information suggesting the crime was motivated by bias,” New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Plotkin said in a statement. “Every possible angle will, of course, be explored and every lead will be fully investigated to bring the perpetrator or perpetrators to justice.”
Mr Sharif had been attacked several months prior in another incident. He had reportedly been held at gun point at the mosque but managed to wrestle the pistol out of his attacker’s hand. The suspect then fled the scene, but was never caught, according to Wahy-ud Deen Shareef, convener of the Council of Imams in New Jersey, who spoke to the Bergen Record.
The imam had worked with the Transport Security Administration since 2006, according to the TSA, which released a statement in response to his death.
“We are deeply saddened to learn of his passing and send our condolences to his family, friends and co-workers,” a TSA spokesperson said in a statement.
CAIR-NJ, the New Jersey arm of the Council for American Islamic Relations, issued a statement calling on the public to come forward with any information regarding the shooting.
“We are deeply concerned about this incident and pray for the speedy recovery of the imam,” the group said in the statement released prior to his death.
It called Mr Sharif “a beacon of leadership in his community”.
“As always, and irrespective of this specific incident, we advise all mosques to keep their doors open but remain cautious, especially given the recent spike in anti-Muslim bigotry,” CAIR said.
CAIR reports that incidents of anti-Muslim bigotry have increased by more than 170 per cent since the Hamas terror attack on 7 October that sparked Israel’s ongoing military action in Gaza.
CAIR said it received 2,171 complaints of anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian hate over the last two months, which represents a 172% increase over same period in 2022.
