Suspected held over Bangladeshi Imam killing

Police has detained the possible suspected and being questioned regarding the murder of Muslim cleric and his associate in New York.

But the detainee has not been charged, NBC reports citing unnamed sources, reports NYTimes.

A police spokesman however could not confirm the report.

New York City police searched on Sunday for a gunman who killed a Muslim cleric and his associate as they left prayers at a mosque in the borough of Queens on Saturday, a crime that sowed fear and sadness in their Bangladeshi community.

Police had yet to establish a motive and said there was no evidence the men were targeted because of their faith, but nothing was being ruled out. Residents demanded authorities treat the brazen daylight shooting as a hate crime.

The gunman approached the men from behind and shot both in the head at close range about 1:50 p.m. (1750 GMT) in the Ozone Park neighborhood of Queens, one of the city’s five boroughs, police said in a statement.