A Sudanese refugee beheaded a South Sudanese muezzin of the Nimra Talata mosque in Juba following a disagreement on Friday, a prominent Muslim leader said.
The muezzin — the man who calls the faithful to prayer — was identified as Musa Abakar, 45.
“Two days ago a heinous and an isolated crime took place. A muezzin was attacked and beheaded inside Nimra Talal Mosque by a Sudanese man who came to South Sudan recently and was staying in the mosque premises,” Sheikh Abdallah Baraj, the Secretary General of the South Sudan Islamic Council, told Radio Tamazuj on Monday.
Muezzin Abakar had tried to expel the Sudanese man from the mosque, occasioning an altercation, which saw the refugee hack him in the neck, killing the mosque official instantly, he explained.
Sheikh Baraj said the culprit was arrested immediately by the police.
“All the legal procedures have been taken and the weapon used to commit the crime has also been seized by the Criminal Investigation Department. The body of the deceased was taken to the mortuary and buried on Saturday,” he said.
The religious leader sent his condolences to the family and friends of the deceased and appealed to the media to get the information from the right sources.
“Some media and journalists reported that terrorists had invaded the mosque. That is not true. After investigations, we confirmed that the perpetrator was not of sound mind, but it will be investigated further,” he said.