Suspect questioned in New York slaying of Muslim imam

By Reuters

A sketch of a suspect in the shooting of Imam Akonjee and Uddin hangs on a street sign across from Al-Furqan Jame Mosque, where the two victims had been worshipping on Saturday afternoon before the shooting, in New York

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A suspect being questioned in the killing of a Muslim imam and his associate in New York City over the weekend was arrested on Monday on charges related to a hit-and-run traffic accident on the day of the murders, police officials said.

The suspect, who police described at a briefing as an Hispanic man, was being questioned about the fatal shootings of Imam Maulama Akonjee and Thara Uddin on Saturday after they left a mosque in the Ozone Park section of Queens.

Officials declined to give the name of the suspect or to comment on a suspected motive for the killings.

(Reporting by Frank McGurty; Editing by James Dalgleish)