Were worshippers the target? Shooting near Ohio mosque kills 1

One person was killed in a shooting near the Alrahma Mosque in northeast Columbus, Ohio, on Monday (local time), prompting the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to assist local police in the investigation. Police said the shooting occurred at a nearby apartment complex and was not an attack on the mosque or those inside it.According to the Columbus division of Police, officers received multiple calls reporting gunshots at around 2:11 pm (local time) on Albert Avenue, northeast of downtown Columbus.The shooting occurred in the parking lot of an apartment complex next to the mosque.“At the mosque, unfortunately, there was an event going on that had nothing to do with what was going on outside,” police Sergeant James Fuqua told news agency AP.“But it’s super important that I make it clear that this shooting had nothing to do with an attack on the mosque itself,” Fuqua added.The ATF’s Columbus Field Division said in a post on X that its special agents were responding to the incident and assisting the Columbus Division of Police.In a subsequent update, the agency said preliminary information indicated that funeral attendees had exited the mosque, located at 2226 Albert Avenue, when shots were reportedly fired by an undetermined number of individuals.“One individual has been confirmed deceased. Earlier reports of a possible second victim have not been confirmed at this time,” the ATF said.The mosque was not targeted, and the shooting followed a dispute at a nearby apartment complex, police said. Authorities have not released further details about the victim, the individuals involved or the circumstances that led to the shooting.This comes after an attempted mass shooting targeting Indian Americans was reportedly foiled at the Sri Venkateswara Swami (Balaji) Temple in Aurora, Illinois on October 15. A 19-year-old suspect, Alexandros Paporakis, was arrested over allegations of making a terrorist threat and unlawfully possessing a weapon in connection with the alleged plot.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.