Authorities reported that Imam Sharif, who was hit by multiple bullets, was hospitalized but died despite all interventions.
Islamophobia caused a death in the US state of New Jersey. Imam Hasan Sharif, who was seriously wounded in an armed attack in front of Masjid Muhammad-Newark Mosque, died in the hospital where he was being treated.
“The evidence gathered so far does not indicate that the attack was motivated by bias or an act of terrorism,” New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said at a press conference following the attack.
“I know there are many in New Jersey who are feeling fear and anxiety right now in the wake of the news of the shooting, as prejudice against many communities globally and across our state has increased, particularly the Muslim community,” Platkin said, adding that a $25,000 reward would be offered to anyone with information about the shooting, according to The Guardian.
While the investigation into the attack is ongoing, the perpetrator is still at large.
The New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, said it was gathering information and urged people to contact local police. “We are deeply concerned about this incident,” Dina Sayedahmed, a spokeswoman for the council, said in a statement.
