CAIR condemns killing of three American Muslim students

Rasa - The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) has condemned the shooting deaths of three American Muslim students in North Carolina.

News ID: 2119

Date: 12 February 2015 - 03:29

RNA - In a statement on Wednesday morning, the Muslim civil liberties advocacy group urged police to address the speculation about the suspect’s motive and whether the incident was a hate crime, Press TV reported.

“Based on the brutal nature of this crime, the past anti-religion statements of the alleged perpetrator, the religious attire of two of the victims, and the rising anti-Muslim rhetoric in American society, we urge state and federal law enforcement authorities to quickly address speculation of a possible bias motive in this case,” CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said.

The statement came after a gunman killed three people in an apartment near the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus on Tuesday.

The victims are Deah Shaddy Barakat, his wife Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, and her sister Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha.

Barakat, 23, Yusor, 21, and Razan, 19, were all shot in the head.

Police arrested the shooter, identified as Craig Stephen Hicks.

The suspect, who is being held in the Durham County Jail, is charged with three counts of first-degree murder.

People on social media quickly reacted to the shooting, posting pictures of the victims and claiming they had been “murdered execution style.”

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