An imam was hospitalized after a stabbing at a mosque in New Jersey during early morning prayer on Sunday, as worshippers observed the holy month of Ramadan. The 65-year-old imam is currently in stable condition, but suffered a partially collapsed lung and other injuries.
Following the incident, there was a heavy police presence outside Omar Mosque in Paterson, including the sheriff’s office, as people returned to pray. The Passaic County prosecutor announced that the suspect in custody is 32-year-old Serif Zorba of Paterson.
Surveillance footage showed that just after 5:30 a.m., as worshippers knelt down for prayer, a man wearing a white hoodie walked over to Imam Sayed Elnakib and stabbed him. The suspect then fled the scene, but was pursued by several community members who held him down until the police arrived.
It is unclear if the attack was motivated by religion, officials said.
