Man arrested in shooting of prominent muslim leader in Utah during Ramadan

A man has been arrested for recently shooting a gun at prominent Muslim leader Imam Shuaib Din in Utah, the police department in the city of Sandy said Saturday.Din’s suspected attacker was identified as Abdul Raouf Afridi. Police said the man was arrested on 12 counts of aggravated assault, including felony discharge of a firearm, possession of a controlled substance, dangerous discharge of a weapon from a vehicle and possession of a dangerous weapon as a prohibited person.The leader of Utah’s largest mosque, Din was ambushed in front of his home on Monday evening. The gunman had reportedly been waiting for the cleric to enter or leave after sunset prayers.Police say Afridi knew Din prior to the shooting and located his car. Formal charges were not immediately filed by the local district attorney’s office, and the case remained under investigation.The Utah Islamic Center asked the community to “avoid speculation” on a motive for the attempted shooting of Din.Sandy police department Sgt Michael Olsen said the attempted shooting had been “a shock to the community” and “not something that typically happens in” the city.Din said the gunman, wearing a mask and hoodie, opened fire as Din pulled out of his garage to return to his mosque for 7.45pm prayers. The gunman then took off.All of the shots missed the cleric, whose mosque is in the community of West Jordan, near the border of Sandy. “Obviously, he knew my house, knew my car, knew my schedule,” the cleric told the Salt Lake Tribune.Din said he had followed the gunman to try to get his license plate, but the man had pulled up alongside him and fired eight more shots. The bullets passed through the front and back seats as well as the windshield.Din said he could not imagine who his attacker might be, telling the outlet it was “likely someone outside my community”. In an interview with the local outlet KSL-TV, he said: “I can’t think of anyone who would want to hurt me so it makes sense to investigate this as a possible hate crime.”The Council on American-Islamic Relations had offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a suspect. The organization also called for stepped-up police protection for the cleric and the Muslim community.Sandy mayor Monica Zoltanski and the Sandy city council said they were “deeply troubled” by the shooting, which occurred during the month of Ramadan, a sacred time for Muslims.“While the motive remains under investigation, we cannot ignore that this occurred during … a time of prayer, reflection and peace for Muslims around the world,“ the mayor and council wrote on social media.“That makes this especially unsettling for our community ... To our Muslim residents and neighbors: You are valued members of Sandy. We stand with you.”