An imam was shot and critically wounded Wednesday outside a New Jersey mosque, prompting a widespread police response.
A spokesperson for the Newark Department of Public Safety told Newsweek that at about 6:16 a.m., officers received a call of a male victim shot near the intersection of South Orange Avenue and Camden Street.
"The victim was transported to University Hospital and is reportedly in critical condition. This incident remains under investigation. No further information is available," the spokesperson said.
The Newark Department of Public Safety confirmed to Newsweek that the victim was the imam and that the shooting occurred outside the mosque.
CBS News reported that Newark law enforcement officials could be seen outside of the Masjid Muhammad mosque, where the shooting is believed to have happened.
According to NBC News, a person who answered the door of the mosque after the shooting identified the victim as Imam Hassan Sharif. Newsweek was unable to independently verify the victim's identity and reached out to the Newark Police Department for confirmation.
In a statement to NBC News, a spokesperson for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in New Jersey said: "We are deeply concerned about this incident and pray for the speedy recovery of the imam. Anyone with information about the shooting should immediately contact local police."
While speaking with the New York Times on Wednesday afternoon, 64-year-old Dwayne Hill, who lives near the mosque, said: "The mosque people are no problem. They keep to themselves and do what they believe in. They've been feeding and clothing the neighborhood for years."
In April 2023, an imam at a mosque in Paterson, New Jersey, was attacked and stabbed while leading prayer. According to WNBC in New York, the suspect was later identified as 32-year-old Serif Zorba, who faced charges including attempted murder after stabbing the imam numerous times during the attack, WNBC reported.
"As they kneeled forward in the prayer, this person pulled out a knife and lunged at the imam, stabbing him multiple times in the back," a spokesperson for the Omar Mosque in Paterson, told WNBC. "This will make us join with each other in a stronger fashion to even attend the mosque more regularly, to make sure we're here with our brothers and sisters in solidarity."
According to WNBC, the imam was transported to a nearby hospital to recover from his injuries.
Update 1/3/24, 11:44 a.m. ET: This story was updated with additional information.
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