READ ALSONY Bangladeshi community in shockBangladeshi imam, his assistant killed in Queens shooting
Authorities said on Tuesday that the suspect's motive remained unclear, and the possibility it was a hate crime was one theory being explored. Morel, from the borough of Brooklyn, appeared calm and spoke little during his brief appearance. He agreed that surveillance video showed him at the scene of the murders earlier on Saturday, but denied being the killer. Judge Karen Gopee set his next court date for Thursday, when an attorney will be assigned to represent him. Speaking to reporters at the court, Uddin's brother, Mashuk Uddin, said the families of both victims were devastated. "Everybody is very upset," Uddin said, adding that he believes it was a hate crime. "These two people here being killed at one time? What's the reason? There's only one reason (and) that's the hate crime." Outside court, several relatives of the dead men as well as friends and locals held signs reading "We demand justice."
Community members take part in a protest to demand stop hate crime during the funeral service of Imam Maulama Akonjee, and Thara Uddin in Queens. ReutersSuspect caught on cameraRobert Boyce, the New York Police Department's chief of detectives, told a news conference on Monday that surveillance video showed the suspect getting into a black sport utility vehicle after the shootings.
That vehicle was involved in a hit-and-run three miles (5 km) away in Brooklyn shortly afterward. After officers located the SUV, the suspect rammed a detective's car several times in an attempt to escape, but was arrested, Boyce said.
He said the suspect is believed to have worked at a warehouse in Brooklyn.
Citing unnamed police sources, the New York Times, the New York Daily News and other outlets reported on Tuesday that detectives who searched Morel's basement apartment in Brooklyn found an unlicensed revolver hidden in a wall that authorities believe he used in the execution-style killings.
Police also found clothes in his apartment that matched what the gunman had been wearing, according to the media reports.
Police confirmed in a statement on Tuesday that a .38 caliber Taurus revolver was recovered in connection with the investigation, but did not say where the firearm was found.
A .38 caliber Taurus revolver which police say was recovered in connection with the double homicide of a Muslim imam and his assistant in Queens, is seen in an undated picture released by the NYPD. Handout via Reuters
Akonjee and Uddin were shot in the head at close range after leaving Saturday prayers at the Al-Furqan Jame Mosque in the Ozone Park neighbourhood of Queens.READ MORENYPD hunt for Bangladeshi Imam killerBernicat condemns Queens mosque imam killings
Addressing hundreds of mourners at the two men's funeral on Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio promised the city would bolster the police presence in the neighbourhood. A father of seven, Akonjee emigrated to the United States from Bangladesh several years ago, said Badrul Khan, the founder of the Al-Furqan Jame Mosque. He described the slain imam as a humble man who lived and breathed his religious faith. "His whole life was his job, praying here, then going home," Khan said.
