$35,000 in rewards offered in fatal shooting of imam outside New Jersey mosque

Rewards totaling $35,000 are being offered for information in the fatal shooting of an imam outside a mosque in Newark, New Jersey.

The shooting occurred just after 6 a.m. Wednesday outside Masjid Muhammad, according to Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Fragé.

The imam, Hassan Sharif, was taken to University Hospital in critical condition, Fragé said. The imam later died, according to an official briefed on the probe.

No arrests have been made, officials said Thursday.

The Essex County Sheriff's Crime Stoppers Program is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons responsible.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations and its New Jersey chapter also announced Thursday they are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator.

"Imam Hassan was the glue that held his community together and it is evident that he was deeply loved. We are shattered by the news and concerned for the New Jersey Muslim community's safety and especially the Newark Muslim community," CAIR-NJ spokesperson Dina Sayedahmed said in a statement. "That more than 24 hours have elapsed and there is still no suspect or person of interest is particularly concerning. We cannot let crimes against our community and our leaders especially go unaccounted for."

When police reported to the scene, they found Sharif lying in the parking lot with multiple gunshot wounds, 10 feet from the mosque entrance, according to a law enforcement source briefed on the case. Sharif had bullet wounds in his abdomen and left arm.

Investigators are now feverishly going through security and city-owned street cameras to determine whether they can spot an assailant, the source said. As often is the case, some of the cameras were not operational, but detectives believe they may have found at least one angle showing someone entering the parking lot and then running off, the law enforcement source said. Bullet casings have also been retrieved and are being analyzed.

The mosque traces its history to the earliest days of the Nation of Islam's presence in New Jersey. It used to be known as Mosque No. 25. The imam was a well-known figure in Newark, frequently appearing with city leaders and he has delivered prayers at council meetings.

Investigators do not have a motive at this point, according to an official briefed on the probe.

While the investigation into the shooting continues, the Essex County prosecutor said "there is no information at this time suggesting the crime was motivated by bias." Officials reiterated the same message at a press conference Tuesday afternoon that they've seen nothing to indicate the shooting was motivated by hate or domestic terrorism.

Sharif had also served as a transportation security officer at Newark Liberty International Airport since 2006.

"We are deeply saddened to learn of his passing and send our condolences to his family, friends and co-workers," the airport said in a statement.

The investigation is being handled cooperatively by Newark police and the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

"We don't yet know all the details, but here is what we do know: Imam Hassan Sharif stood with the people of this city, and we will stand with him and his family," Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said in a statement. "None of us has to know the details about this shooting to condemn it. Any act of violence, any killing or harming of any person, is never okay – no matter what precipitates or motivates such a depraved act."