US imam shot outside New Jersey mosque dies, shooter at large

An imam shot outside a Newark mosque in New Jersey state has succumbed to gunshot wounds, American authorities said.

New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin said o Wednesday that the loss of Imam Hassan Sharif will be felt across the state and city, adding there's no evidence indicating the shooting was motivated by an anti-Muslim bias.

The Muslim cleric was in his vehicle when he was shot more than once near the mosque, Essex County Prosecutor Ted Stephens said at a news conference.

Officers sought to identify and arrest the shooter, and while the motive wasn't clear, the governor promised to do what's possible to protect houses of worship.

The Muslim cleric was shot after 6 am outside the Masjid-Muhammad-Newark mosque, Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Frage said in an emailed statement.

The victim was taken to a nearby University Hospital in critical condition, authorities said, but died from his wounds later.

Frage said the shooting is under investigation, and no other information is available.

A message seeking more information was left with the mosque.

"At a time when the Muslim community is concerned by an increase of bias incidents and crimes, I want to assure the Muslim community and people of all faiths that we will do everything in our power to keep all residents safe, especially in or near our houses of worship," Governor Phil Murphy's statement said.

Islamophobic attacks in America

The New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organisation, said it is gathering information and urged people to contact local police.

"We are deeply concerned about this incident and pray for the speedy recovery of the imam," CAIR-NJ spokesperson Dina Sayedahmed said in a statement.

The US has seen a rise in Islamophobic attacks since the start of Israel's brutal war on besieged Gaza, where Israel has killed at least 22,313 Palestinians and wounded 57,296 while bombarding cities, towns and refugee camps across the enclave.

In October, Wadea Al-Fayoume, 6, a Muslim boy, was stabbed to death in an attack that targeted him and his mother for their religion and as a response to the ongoing Israel's war on Gaza.