US Cleric Shot Outside Mosque Near New York

A cleric was shot outside a mosque not far from New York on Wednesday and is in a critical condition, police said.

Police in the city of Newark, New Jersey, did not give a motive for the incident.

Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Frage confirmed "police responded to a call of a male shot" Wednesday morning.

Frage said the victim was taken to a local hospital and "is reportedly in critical condition."

Officers confirmed that the man was the cleric, and that the incident happened outside a mosque. An investigation has been launched.

Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, there has been an increase in Islamophobic and anti-Semitic attacks across the United States.

Images published by the New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) showed police vehicles deployed outside the Masjid Muhammad-Newark mosque, a two-story yellow and green complex.

"We are deeply concerned about this incident and pray for the speedy recovery of the cleric. Anyone with information about the shooting should immediately contact local police," said CAIR New Jersey communications manager Dina Sayedahmed.

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