HOMICIDE PROBE

Beloved Islamic Leader Found Dead in Columbus Junk Yard

Police are treating the shocking Christmas Eve discovery as a homicide.

Police in Columbus, Ohio are treating the death of a popular Islamic leader as a homicide after his body was found in a junk yard on Christmas Eve, two days after he vanished. Cops did not identify the man but members of Columbus’ large Somali Muslim community, who went to the scene on Friday after a dayslong search, identified him as Mohamed Hassan Adam, the longtime imam at Masjid Abu Hurairah. He was found in a vehicle in a wooded lot owned by an auto recycling company. Community members said Adam taught Quran to local kids, set up sports leagues, and provided food to the needy during the pandemic. “[W]e are shocked and devastated by the murder of Sheikh Dr. Mohamed Hassan Adam of Masjid Abu Hurairah – a beloved pillar of the Columbus Somali Muslim community,” said Amina Barhumi, CAIR-Ohio acting executive director. “Our entire Ohio Muslim community has suffered a profound and tragic loss.”