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Senior News Editor since 2004
Prominent imam stabbed in back as he led Sunday morning prayers in Paterson, NJ
A prominent imam was reportedly stabbed twice in the back in front of his congregation as he led Sunday morning prayers at a mosque in Paterson, NJ.
nypost.com
Prominent imam stabbed in back as he led Sunday morning prayers in Paterson, NJ
By
Steve Janoski
April 9, 2023 2:38pm
Updated
A prominent imam was stabbed in the back while leading prayers at a mosque in Paterson, New Jersey on Sunday morning.
The imam, Sayed Elnakib, was beginning his service at the Omar Mosque on Getty Avenue in South Paterson when an unknown assailant stabbed him twice at around 6 a.m., according to The Record.
The suspect, identified by WNBC as 32-year-old Serif Zorba, was quickly restrained by other worshippers at the service. Elnakib was taken to nearby St. Joseph’s Medical Center where he was listed in serious but stable condition.
About 200 people were at the service, which had just begun.
Police have not released the suspect’s name. It was not immediately clear what the motive was for the attack.
Authorities said the attacker was not a member of the mosque but had prayed there before, according to News12 New Jersey.
The mosque will increase security but remain open.
Paterson police officials said they expect the attacker to be charged later on Sunday.
The city’s mayor, Andre Sayegh, told The Record that he visited the imam in the hospital and appreciated “the immediate apprehension of his assailant.”
Councilman Al Abdelaziz, who represents the neighborhood in which the attack happened, told the newspaper that the community must “come together to support one another and denounce all forms of hate and violence.”
Omar Mosque on Getty Avenue in Paterson, NJ, where an imam was stabbed on April 9, 2023.FNTV 
Police believe the stabbing was an isolated incident.FNTV“While it is unclear what motivated the attacker, there is no justification for violence of any kind, especially in a sacred space,” Abdelaziz said.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations of New Jersey said there were 152 anti-Muslim incidents in New Jersey last year – the highest number since it began tallying statistics.
Authorities believe the imam’s attack was an isolated attack and not a hate crime.