Killing of imam outside New Jersey mosque does not appear motivated by bias, officials say as search for shooter continues

By Nouran Salahieh and Samantha Beech, CNN

(CNN) — Officials are searching for the shooter in the killing of an imam outside a Newark, New Jersey, mosque, as they work to determine what led up to the slaying of the man remembered as a beacon in his community.

Imam Hassan Sharif was shot several times outside the Masjid Muhammad-Newark on Wednesday just before the dawn prayer, authorities said. The imam, the mosque’s prayer leader, died hours later at a hospital.

“It does not appear that the Imam was a victim of a biased crime or that this is related to terrorism,” Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II said at a Wednesday news conference.

New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said while evidence found so far doesn’t point to bias, investigators don’t yet know what motivated the shooting.

Authorities asked members of the public to come forward with any information Wednesday as police looked for video surveillance from the area.

“We don’t yet know all the details, but here is what we do know: Imam Hassan Sharif stood with the people of this city, and we will stand with him and his family,” Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka said in a release Wednesday.

The killing comes amid increasing reports of threats, violence and hate speech against Muslim and Jewish Americans since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October. The increase has had Muslims on high alert.

Rewards totaling at least $35,000 are being offered for information in the deadly shooting, including a $25,000 reward through CrimeStoppers, the Essex County Sheriff’s Office told CNN.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations and its New Jersey chapter on Thursday offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person who shot and killed Sharif.

“Due to the unprecedented spike in anti-Muslim bigotry and violence we have witnessed in recent weeks, local, state and national law enforcement authorities must thoroughly investigate the shooting of Imam Hassan Sharif and keep the Muslim community safe,” Nihad Awad, CAIR’s national executive director, said in a statement.

A spokesperson from the sheriff’s office told CNN on Thursday there had been no developments in the investigation following Wednesday’s news conference.  

A large crowd gathered in Newark Wednesday to mourn Sharif, taking to the streets and chanting, “stop the killing.”

“If the imam is not safe at the masjid, none of us are safe,” one person told the crowd.

Daud Haqq, president of the Tri-State Imams Council, told CNN affiliate WABC he was shaken by his friend’s death.

“My heart is really hurting over him,” Haqq said. “This creates that sense of distress or a sense of fear.”

“I know that in light of global events and with a rise and bias directed at many communities we’re experiencing across our state, but particularly the Muslim community, there are many in New Jersey right now who are feeling a heightened sense of fear or anxiety,” Platkin said.

Authorities had already ramped up security around mosques and other places of worship statewide, Platkin said.

“Since October 7, we’ve had heightened presence in and around houses of worship for frankly, for all of our religious communities, but particularly for our Muslim and Jewish communities.” Platkin said Wednesday. “Today, we’ve made outreach to Muslim communities both in Newark but also throughout the state of New Jersey and we will be providing, as we have been for the past several months, any resource that they need to feel safe.”

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy also sought to reassure the state’s Muslim community on Wednesday.

“At this point, we do not have any information about the perpetrators or motivations behind this incident, but I know law enforcement will provide updates as appropriate,” Murphy said in a release.

Imam protested against gun violence

Sharif, who won praise for his leadership and efforts to combat violence in the community, said in an August Facebook post he had been held at gunpoint outside the mosque that day.

“Every morning as my daily routine, I go to the masjid to offer Fajr salat (prayer) this morning out of all was a definite test, as I get out of my vehicle heading inside I was approached by an unwanted guess who thought it was a good idea to come behind me an put a gun to my head,” Sharif wrote in the August 8 post.

The imam said he was able to fight the gunman off and take the weapon from his hand. He then tried to pull the trigger, but the gun did not fire, he wrote.

“He was a community advocate who protested against gun violence continuously. He supported the city in all of his efforts in helping to keep our cities safe. It is with deep loss that the city will mourn his absence,” Newark Public Safety Director Fritz G. Fragé said at Wednesday’s news conference.

Sharif’s mosque is part of the city’s “safe surrender” program, meaning fugitives can turn themselves in to authorities there to reduce risks of violent interactions, Fragé said.

Sharif was resident imam of Masjid Muhammad-Newark for about five years, and was involved in interfaith efforts in Newark, Fragé said.

“He supported the city with all of his efforts and helping to keep our city safe,” Fragé continued. “It is with deep loss that the city will mourn his absence.”

The New Jersey branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations called Sharif a “beacon of leadership and excellence.”

“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,” the group said.

Sharif’s friend Aneesah Abdullah raced to the mosque as word spread of the shooting, WABC reported.

“I got up out of my bed and drove from South Jersey, just to say a prayer for him,” Abdullah told the station. “He’s a wonderful human being. I have nothing negative to say about him and I don’t think anyone in the community will. He did everything for churches and mosques and synagogues.”

In addition to his leadership at the mosque, Sharif had worked as a transportation security officer at Newark Liberty International Airport since 2006, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

“We are deeply saddened to learn of his passing and send our condolences to his family, friends and co-workers,” TSA said.

CNN’s Caroll Alvarado, David Williams and Celina Tebor contributed to this report.

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