New York mayor: Muslims 'in crosshairs of bigotry'

The two men were remembered in prayers at the al-Furqan Jame mosque on Sunday

Muslims are living "in the crosshairs of bigotry", New York's mayor has said, a day after an imam and his associate were killed while leaving a mosque.

Imam Maulama Akonjee, 55, and Thara Uddin, 64, were shot in the head on Saturday in the borough of Queens. Some mosque-goers said the shooting was a hate crime, but police say there is as yet no evidence the men were targeted because of their faith.

A sketch of the suspect is being distributed close to where the shooting happened

 Attacks on US mosques are at their highest levels since records started. The two men, originally from Bangladesh, were approached from behind by a man who shot them both in the head, police said. They had both just left the al-Furqan Jame mosque.

A man holding a gun was seen leaving the scene of the shooting in the Ozone Park area, but no-one has been arrested. Police said the suspect had a "medium complexion". They released a sketch on Sunday.

"While we do not yet know the motivation for the murders of Maulama Akonjee and Thara Uddin, we do know that our Muslim communities are in the perpetual crosshairs of bigotry," Mayor Bill De Blasio said in a statement.

"It remains critical that we work to bridge the divides that threaten to undermine the greatness of our city and country."