NEW YORK – The daylight slaying of a mosque leader and his associate set off fear and anguish Sunday among Bangladeshi Muslims in a New York City neighborhood.
Police hunted for the gunman who killed Imam Maulama Akonjee, 55, and Thara Uddin, 64, near the Al-Furqan Jame Masjid mosque in Queens as they left afternoon prayers Saturday in their traditional religious attire. Both men were shot in the head.
Police released a sketch early Sunday of a dark-haired, bearded man wearing glasses. A n area resident showed The Associated Press a video that showed a man walking up behind the imam and his associate, shooting the men in the head and then walking off. Police said they were reviewing the video.
BAKER, Nev. – Authorities say a Forest Service firefighter has died after being hit by a tree while battling a wildfire in Nevada.
Federal officials say Justin Beebe of Vermont was killed when the tree fell on him Saturday afternoon while his crew battled a blaze in the eastern Nevada.
Beebe was in his first year as a member of the Lolo Hotshots based in Montana.
ZEPHYR COVE, Nev. – Firefighters say a group of tourists whose speedboat sunk in Lake Tahoe at night lived to tell by clinging to an ice cooler and a seat cushion.
Eric Guevin of the Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District says the four men from California’s Bay Area rented a boat that started to take on water late Saturday night.
The men were about three miles from the shore and in the dark with only partial moonlight as they were yelling for help.
Rescuers picked up one boater who tried to swim to shore, then they found the other three. The cold boaters were warmed with blankets and hot tea. They are otherwise OK.
KINSHASA, Congo – Suspected rebels have killed at least 36 people in northeastern Congo, spurring residents to stage street protests against the ongoing violence, officials said Sunday.
Allied Democratic Forces, with origins in neighboring Uganda, likely carried out the attack late Saturday after the army pushed them from their bases, said Congo army spokesman Gen. Richard Kasonga.
The bodies of 22 men and 14 women are in the morgue, and the toll is likely to rise, said North Kivu provincial governor Julien Paluku.
ENFIELD, Conn. – Emergency responders in Connecticut helped a squirrel caught in a nutty situation.
Firefighters responded Friday after the rodent got its head stuck in what appeared to be a plastic or paper cup.
Video posted on the Enfield EMS Facebook page shows the critter wildly jumping and flipping into the air in an effort to dislodge the cup.
Responders took two attempts to free the little rodent, and it quickly scampered away into some nearby bushes.
Associated Press
