A manhunt has been launched after an imam was fatally shot outside his mosque in New Jersey before dawn.
Imam Hassan Sharif was in his car when he was shot more than once at about 6am on Wednesday near the Masjid-Muhammad Mosque in Newark, the state's largest city. He later died in a nearby hospital.
There is no indication that the shooting was a hate crime, said New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin.
Mr Platkin said: “I know that in light of global events and with a rise in bias directed at many communities we're experiencing across our state — particularly the Muslim community — there are many in New Jersey right now who are feeling a heightened sense of fear or anxiety at the news of this slaying.”
He said police had stepped up outreach to places of worship, particularly Jewish and Muslim ones, amid tensions over the conflict in Gaza since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
Mr Sharif had been a resident imam at the local mosque for five years, Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Frage said.
He remembered the imam as a leader in the interfaith community who worked to keep the city safe.
“We share your pain and we promise to utilise the full resources of those here and those who are continuing to partner with us to make sure that this heinous crime is solved," he said.
The New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation's largest Muslim advocacy organisation, called Mr Sharif a "beacon of leadership and excellence."
It said that while the shooter's motives are unknown, the group is advising all mosques to “remain cautious" while keeping their doors open.
