Cape Town – A musalli (worshipper) was killed and an imam was wounded while they were praying when four men opened fire inside a Khayelitsha mosque.
The incident on Tuesday has left the Muslim community puzzled and the police were searching for the gunmen.
“Cases of murder and attempted murder are under investigation,” police spokesperson Noloyiso Rwexana said.
According to reports, the incident occurred on Tuesday at 7pm at a mosque at Ntlazane Road, Khayelitsha.
“The police arrived and found the victims with gunshot wounds to their bodies. The wounded victim, who was 30, was taken to hospital, while the other man died at the scene.
“No one has been arrested so far,” Rwexana said.
Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) spokesperson Mishka Daries has condemned the attack.
“It is a very tragic incident, and we share our condolences with the family of the deceased, and wish the Imam a speedy recovery.
‘‘We are not sure what the reasons are behind the incident, but if this was an issue of grievance, it should have been dealt with in an amicable manner,” Daries said.
The janazah (funeral) of the musalli was held on Wednesday.
Harare Community Policing Forum chairperson Ronnie Busakwe said they condemned the murder and urged residents to provide information.
“We need to help the police in conducting a thorough investigation to ensure these criminals are caught. The community needs to come forward to prevent another incident like this happening,” Busakwe said.
In June, two people were found stabbed to death and several injured at a mosque in Malmesbury.
Among them was Ismaiel Ahmad Bassa, 72, who was one of the worshippers inside the mosque next to his home in Nerina Street, performing i’tikaaf (seclusion in the mosque), when he was killed in his sleep.
The attacker was identified as 23-year-old Nur Arawal, a migrant from Somalia, who was shot dead by the police following the attack.
The police said there was no extremist motive for the attack and confirmed that Arawal was an outpatient at Karl Bremer Hospital’s psychiatric section ince 2013 until shortly before the bloody attack.
That incident was preceded by a mosque attack in Verulam, Durban, where a worshipper was killed and two others injured when three men entered the mosque and attacked them, before setting the mosque alight.
Last month 19 people were arrested in connection with the Verulam attack, and the placement of several explosive devices at shopping centres in Durban.
Anyone with information about the incident in Khayelitsha can anonymously contact Crime Stop at 086 001 0111 or SMS Crime Line on 32211.