A Bangladeshi imam has been arrested in New York on allegations of child sexual assault at a mosque.
The allegations relate to two separate incidents said to have taken place at Masjid Bilal in Jamaica, Queens, on Apr 21 and again on Monday, reports bdnews24.com.
The accused, 65-year-old Tajul Islam, has been charged with four counts of first-degree sexual abuse, four counts of forcible touching and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
According to the allegations, Tajul is accused of inappropriately touching a 10-year-old child inside the mosque on Apr 21. A similar allegation involving another 10-year-old child was made in relation to the incident on Monday, the report said.
Police arrested him on the same day following the second incident.
He was later presented before Queens Criminal Court, which granted him bail the following day on a $25,000 bond. The court also ordered him to stay away from the children involved in the case.
Police released a photograph of the accused and urged anyone with similar allegations to contact the NYPD Sex Crimes Hotline at 1-212-267-7273 or 1-800-577-8477.
Bdnews24.com said it is seeking comment from the mosque committee.
