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NEWARK, N.J. — An imam was shot Wednesday morning outside a mosque in Newark, New Jersey.
Police said the imam was rushed to University Hospital, where he is listed in critical condition.
The shooting was reported shortly after 6:15 a.m. outside Masjid Muhammad mosque on the corner of Camden Street and South Orange Avenue.
As CBS New York’s Christina Fan reported, the building appeared to be open for the 6 a.m. Fajr prayer — the first of five daily prayers — when the attack took place.
Hours later, Newark police officers could be seen positioned outside the entrance, while a state police helicopter monitored the situation from the sky.
So far, there’s no word on a suspect or a motive in the shooting.
More details are expected to be revealed at a 4:30 p.m. news conference. You can watch that live on CBS News New York.
“If there’s any evidence that this was anything, broadly speaking, a hate crime, Islamophobia, anything in that lane, it is completely reprehensible, unacceptable in the state of New Jersey, and we will take whatever actions we need to take. But again, that’s assuming it’s the case. I do not have confirmation that it is the case. But I will say this – we pray for the imam and his family, certainly, fervently,” Gov. Phil Murphy said.
“At a time when bias incidents against members of the Muslim community are on the rise, we know that this act of gun violence will heighten fears and concerns in our state. This investigation is ongoing, but at this time we do not have any information suggesting the crime was motivated by bias. Every possible angle will, of course, be explored and every lead will be fully investigated to bring the perpetrator or perpetrators to justice,” N.J. Attorney General Matthew Platkin said.
CAIR-NJ, the New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, released a statement asking anyone with information about the shooting to contact the police.
“We are deeply concerned about this incident and pray for the speedy recovery of the imam,” the statement said in part.
According to its website, the mosque, formerly known as Temple #25, was founded in 1957 and is also home to Clara Mohammed School-Newark for students K-12. The website lists the names of a resident imam and two assistant imams.
Word of the shooting is reverberating throughout our area. In Long Island’s Nassau County, authorities are increasing patrols at mosques.
“While there is no information at this time concerning the cause of the shooting, out of an abundance of caution I am increasing patrols to protect the Muslim community,” Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Newark Police Department at 1-877-NWK TIPS (1-877-695-8477).
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