Cape Town - The Muslim Judicial Council of SA (MJC) has called on criminals to respect places of worship following a shooting at a mosque in Brooklyn on Friday.
Musallis (worshippers) attending Jumuah prayers at the Brooklyn Masjid were left traumatised after a gunman opened fire on an alleged gang boss inside the mosque.
Videos and sound clips taken by worshippers at the scene have since gone viral on social media, as some described how they thought the mosque was coming under attack.
Police and gang sources, however, revealed that the shooting was allegedly related to an underworld assassination plot.
It is understood that the victim, an alleged 28s gang boss, was shot by a lone gunman who opened fire as he tried to leave the mosque.
It is understood the gunman entered the mosque with a firearm and waited for a chance to fire at his target.
Police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi said the police were investigating an attempted murder case.
“Maitland police are pursuing leads in a bid to apprehend the suspects who attempted to kill a man in his late forties at a place of worship in Kings Road in Brooklyn on Friday. Reports suggested that an unknown armed man entered the premises, fired numerous gunshots, which resulted in the victim sustaining gunshot wounds. He was rushed to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.
“The unknown suspect fled the scene and is yet to be arrested. The motive for this attack is now the subject of an investigation by the SAPS. Maitland police are investigating an attempted murder,” said Swartbooi.
According to a Cape Argus source, the victim is the leader of the 28s gang in Brooklyn and allegedly helped hide a state witness from alleged 28s gang boss Ralph Stanfield.
MJC president Sheikh Riad Fataar said he visited the mosque after the incident.
“The shooting disturbed the contentment (of a mosque), it disturbed that serenity, it disturbed a holy period. People were traumatised, people were upset, people were crying, children were upset and we are concerned about our Muslim community in the Brooklyn area.
“The world is changing, people are brazen and you see there is no respect for places of worship. And we have to prepare our imams and communities for such sad events, such cowardly events. The MJC is going to work in co-operation with disaster management, with SAPS bomb squad and so on so we can educate our imams, who will in turn educate our communities in what we do in such situations.”
Cape Argus