Hispanic man, 35, ‘who hated Muslims after 9/11’ is charged with shooting Queens imam and his assistant dead, after being arrested in hit-and-run 10 minutes after the attack
Oscar Morel, 35, of Brooklyn, is charged with second-degree murder over the deaths of Imam Maulana Alauddin Akonjee and Thara Uddin
Charges came Monday night after police said they found the gun at his home and clothes similar to those worn by gunman concealed in a wall
His brother Alvin Morel said his sibling, who was brought up Catholic, had a ‘temporary’ hatred of Muslims after the 9/11 attacks
Reports said the killings could be a result of a dispute between Muslims and Hispanics
Morel is believed to have been involved in a hit-and-run with a cyclist which occurred nearby 10 minutes after Saturday’s shooting
This led detectives to put Morel under surveillance as his car matched the description of that in the accident
He was arrested Sunday night after his vehicle rammed an undercover cop car
By WILLS ROBINSON
DAILYMAIL.COM
16 August 2016
The suspect accused of murdering an imam and his assistant in New York had ‘hatred’ toward Muslims after 9/11, his brother has said – as police investigate whether he was hired as a hitman.
Hispanic Oscar Morel, 35, of Brooklyn, was charged Monday night with two counts of second-degree for the killings of Imam Maulana Alauddin Akonjee and Thara Uddin after cops say they recovered what they believe is the gun at his home.
Investigators found clothes similar to those worn by the gunman in surveillance video of the killing stuffed into the wall of the suspect’s home along with the weapon.
Police and the Queens District Attorney would not say why Morel has only been charged with second degree murder – which means the killing was intentional but not pre-meditated. However the charge could be upgraded to first degree murder more easily at a later stage.
Morel worked as a porter at The New School, a private university in New York, since 2013 and was brought up in a Catholic family. He also had a girlfriend but lived alone.
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