Thousands of members of the Washington, D.C., Muslim community attended the funeral of Nabra Hassanen, 17, on Wednesday.
Hassanen, a Muslim American teenager, was murdered early Sunday morning in what investigators called a “road-rage incident.”
More than 5,000 people honored Hassanen at her funeral in Sterling, Va., on Wednesday. The news of Hassanen’s murder has sparked both sorrow and outrage, as many view the incident as a hate crime that could have happened to other Muslim teenagers.
{mosads}”My daughter is 17 years old and she didn’t know Nabra, but another friend knew her. And I think my daughter is in the same situation. She is wearing hijab and goes to another mosque,” one Muslim resident told CNN.
According to NBC News, Hassanen and several other Muslim teens were heading home from a local mosque after Ramadan services when they were confronted by Darwin Martinez Torres, 22. The other teens fled but Hassanen was caught and beaten to death by Torres, police say.
Torres, a resident of El Salvador, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents Monday after reports indicated he was in the country illegally.
Police say they haven’t ruled out hate crime charges, but do not yet have any evidence to believe Hassanen was targeted due to her religion.