NEW JERSEY – The US state’s attorney general confirmed the tragic death of Imam Hassan Sharif, who succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained outside a mosque in New Jersey on Wednesday.
New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin clarified that initial investigations did not suggest a bias-driven or domestic terrorism motive for the killing.
Sharif was shot multiple times outside Masjid Muhammad in Newark and later passed away at the hospital, according to Platkin. He emphasized that while the crime’s motive remains unclear, evidence collected so far doesn’t indicate bias or terrorism as the driving force.
Platkin acknowledged the heightened fear among communities, particularly the Muslim community, in New Jersey, home to around 300,000 Muslim Americans. He highlighted the rise in bias attacks, notably after the conflict in the Gaza Strip, contributing to increased Islamophobic and anti-Semitic incidents across the United States.
Essex County prosecutor Ted Stephens confirmed the multiple gunshot wounds sustained by Sharif shortly after 6am, stating that it doesn’t seem to be a bias crime or terrorism-related.
Sharif had been employed as a security screener at Newark airport since 2016, as confirmed by the United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA). TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein expressed deep sorrow at Sharif’s passing, extending condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues.
