akonjee murder protest
© Stephanie Keith / ReutersA crowd of community members gather at the place where Imam Maulama Akonjee was killed in the Queens borough of New York City, August 13, 2016.
A man has been detained in connection with the murder of a New York City imam and his assistant who were killed while on their way home from a mosque in Queens, NBC news reported, citing sources.

The man, who was detained early on Monday morning, reportedly matched the description of the shooter. He was arrested while returning to a car at the scene of the incident, according to NBC.

The shooting took place close to the Al-Furqan Jame Masjid mosque in the Ozone Park neighborhood at around 2 pm on Saturday. The 55-year-old imam, Alala Uddin Akongi, and his 64-year-old assistant, Thara Uddin, had been attending afternoon prayers and were in traditional Muslim dress.


A video of the assassination later emerged online showing the suspect opening fire at close distance. The low-quality footage shows that the imam was fatally shot from behind. The suspect is then seen running away from the crime scene.

On Sunday, New York Police Department Deputy Inspector Henry Sautner said that the attacker had been seen fleeing the scene with a gun. Police later released a sketch of the alleged shooter.

After a preliminary investigation, police said they believed that a lone gunman shot the two men during a robbery, according to NBC 4 New York. An NYPD spokesman said they didn't believe the victims had been targeted for being Muslim.

Dozens of angry Muslim men gathered at the murder scene after the attack. Khairul Islam, a local resident, told the New York Daily News: "That's not what America is about, we blame Donald Trump for this ... Trump and his drama has created Islamophobia."