It was late into the night between Saturday and Sunday, when Nabra Hasssanen was praying at the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) mosque frequented by Muslims, especially during the month of Ramazan.
Her eyes were closed, perhaps she was dreaming of her future, education and career or perhaps she praying for her father, or making plans to celebrate Father’s Day which was a few hours away. As soon as she finished her prayers, Nabra along with her friends decided to go for breakfast in a nearby fast food restaurant.
While coming back from the fast food restaurant all her friends were talking about the fast and Eid which was due in few days and suddenly they were challenged by a motorist. In Ramazan, worshipers stay late into night to offer extra prayers and sleep when they eat early breakfast, known as “Sehri.”
They all ran towards the mosque except Nabra and reported about the incident and the girl left behind, according to spokeswoman for the Loudoun County Sheriff’s office.
Nabra could not run away from the man as she tripped . She was nowhere to be found. Nabra had been abducted after which she was brutally beaten to death.
After a joint search, the Loudoun and Fairfax County police found the body of the girl in a pond in Sterling around 3:00 P.M. Sunday afternoon.
According to local media accounts, the girl’s mother said that the detectives told her that Nabra was struck with a metal bat.
“I think it had to do with the way she was dressed and the fact that she’s Muslim,” Sawsan Gazzar told The Washington Post. “Why would you kill a kid? What did my daughter do to deserve this?”
Religious leaders said they were devastated at the murder.
ADAMS Center
Photo:Facebook
“We are devastated and heartbroken as our community undergoes and processes this traumatic event. “It is a time of us to come together to pray and care for our youth,”ADAMS Imam Mohamed Magid said in a statement.
The media reported that a helicopter, police dogs and rescue teams searched for the teen, an officer spotted Darwin Martinez Torres, 22, “driving suspiciously” in the area.
Torres was arrested and charged with murder on Sunday. He’s being held in Fairfax County jail, officials said.”
The police is investigating the cause of Nabra’s killing but many Muslims think it is a hate crime.
“We will be very, very meticulous in our investigation,” Fairfax County Police Spokesman Don Gotthardt told the National Public Radio.
Representative Barbara Comstock sadly stated “we are heartbroken and horrified by the news of the brutal murder of a beautiful 17 year old girl.”
She expressed her sense of grief to the family who lost their loving daughter in a dreadful crime of murder.
Dorothy & I are heartbroken over this senseless act of violence. We are praying for Nabra's family & ADAMS Communityhttps://t.co/b22gjbhQUs
— Terry McAuliffe (@GovernorVA) June 19, 2017
Rep. Comstock also visited ADAMS on Sunday morning and met with the mosque leaders and law enforcement officials.
Governor Terry McAuliffe also mourned the violent killing of the teenage girl.
Police have so far found no motive for the murder having been motivated by hate.
Since Nabra was wearing an Arab women dress “Baya,” speculations are rife among people that she was targeted because of her faith or appearance. There is no evidence yet that the arrested killer espoused any hateful ideology or was affiliated with any hate group.
For the peaceful Muslim community in Sterling the killing, the murder came as a heartbreaking shock. It is rare that the diverse communities in Northern Virginia ever experience a horror like the killing of a young girl with beating.
An opinion piece in The Washington Post contemplated the motives behind the murder, which has sent shock waves among all communities.
“Nabra was killed by some kind of toxic mix of hate and rage, there’s no doubt about that — even if it doesn’t meet the legal definition of a hate crime,” columnist Petula Dvorak concluded in the Post piece titled “Nabra Hassanen’s death may not legally be a hate crime, but it sure feels hateful.”
A number of readers of the column and followers of the news expressed sorrow over the terror that befell the young girl, whose life was cut short in a hateful manner that has agonized a lot of Virginians.
Meanwhile, according to NPR, a crowdfunding campaign had raised more than $160,000 for the victim’s family by Monday afternoon.
Muslims and interfaith leaders are holding vigils for Nabra in several cities.
