Bangladeshi Muslim community stunned by stabbing
By Patrick Donachie
A neighbor was arrested and charged this weekend in the Aug. 31 murder of a 60-year-old Muslim woman in Jamaica Hills, police said. The man, who admitted to fatally stabbing her, lived half a block from where the killing occurred, according to police.
The arrest came as religious and community leaders urged the authorities to consider the possibility that the attack was a hate crime, even though police were saying the suspect’s motive was robbery.
“We welcome the fact that a person has been arrested so quickly and are waiting to see what develops through the court process,” said Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American Islamic Relations. “We’re being told this was a robbery and that will need to be determined based on the facts presented at the trial.”