Bangladeshi Imam, Associate Killings: NY man pleads not guilty

Oscar Morel, 36, is facing murder and weapons charges. Imam Maulana Akonjee, 55, and his brother-in-law Thara Uddin, 64, were gunned down in the Ozone Park neighbourhood of New York’s Queens borough on August 13 in an attack that shook the area’s predominantly Bangladeshi community. According to media reports, the duo were dressed in Muslim garb when the killer “approached from behind and shot in the head” from point-blank range after afternoon prayers. Authorities have not yet publicly identified a possible motive for the attack. NY police initially said the shooting was not a hate crime. They said there was no evidence the men were targeted because of their faith.