Suspect named in stabbing attack on imam during prayers at South Paterson Omar Mosque

PATERSON — A city man lunged at an imam as he led some 200 worshippers in prayer at a local mosque on Sunday morning and then stabbed him twice in the back, authorities said.

Whatever prompted Serif Zorba, 32, to carry out the alleged knife attack in front of the congregation of Omar Mosque at 501 Getty Ave. is unclear, said authorities, who did not identify a motive. Leaders of the mosque said they did not understand the reason for the senseless violence.

Zorba is not a regular member of the mosque's congregation, officials said at a press conference, but he has been seen there before.

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The imam, Sayed Elnakib, 65, was in stable condition at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center, officials said. He is expected to make a full recovery, they said.

Zorba was charged with first-degree attempted murder and two weapons offenses. He was scheduled to make a first appearance in court on Monday afternoon, according to the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office.

Abdul Hamdan, a spokesman for the mosque, said the 5:37 a.m. attack was an “isolated incident.” He credited the swift action of congregants in helping to apprehend Zorba as he tried to flee.

“I was deeply saddened to hear about the stabbing incident that took place during prayer at Omar’s mosque earlier this morning, and my heart goes out to everyone affected by this tragic event,” said Councilman Al Abdelaziz, who represents the city’s 6th Ward, where the attack happened.

The mosque is expected to remain open with extra security precautions. Several Passaic County Sheriff's Office vehicles were seen at the scene.

“While it is unclear what motivated the attacker, there is no justification for violence of any kind, especially in a sacred space,” Abdelaziz said. “I am relieved to hear that Imam Sayed Elnakib is in stable condition and wish him a full and speedy recovery. Please know that my thoughts and prayers are with him and his family during this difficult time.

“As a community, it is important that we come together to support one another and denounce all forms of hate and violence,” continued Abdelaziz. “I encourage everyone to reach out to each other for comfort and support, and to work towards creating a safe and welcoming environment for all who enter your mosque. I am confident that with love, understanding, and respect, our entire community will come out of this stronger than ever.”

Mayor Andre Sayegh said he and Abdelaziz visited the imam in the hospital. The mayor said he appreciated “the immediate apprehension of his assailant.”

Prayer sessions continued as scheduled on Sunday afternoon, with city police officers and sheriff’s officers keeping watch outside the mosque.

Sayegh said authorities would maintain extra security there at least throughout the holy month of Ramadan, which ends on April 20. Paterson has the largest Muslim population in the state, and one of the largest in the country. “The safety of those who are coming to pray is a priority for us,” the mayor said. “We take this situation very seriously. We want to let anyone who’s coming to worship know that they can do so in peace.”

Mohammad Mustafa, a congregant of the mosque, said he was undaunted by the attack.

“That doesn’t scare us, these things,” said Mustafa, who prays at the mosque every day. “This is God’s will. It doesn’t matter what you do to try to prevent it.”

The mosque incident took place just a day after the Council on American-Islamic Relations of New Jersey called for a probe of a vandalism incident at Dr. Hani Awadallah School in South Paterson. Someone used “an unknown dark substance” to blot out the “Allah” portion of the school name, the Islamic group said. Allah is the Arabic word for God.

“While the circumstances surrounding the incident remain unknown, the smearing of the word ‘Allah’ in Dr. Awadallah’s name is apparently intentional, with the remainder of the sign left untouched, making an immediate hate crime investigation into this incident necessary,” said CAIR-NJ.

The organization said there were 152 complaints about anti-Muslim incidents in New Jersey in 2022, the highest number since the tracking of such statistics began.

“Over the years, our records have shown that complaints increase around and during Ramadan, in part because Muslims are more visible and take up more space — physically and metaphorically,” CAIR-NJ said.  “This upward trend of complaints of anti-Muslim incidents is wholly unacceptable.”

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: South Paterson NJ imam stabbed during prayers at Omar Mosque