The emir of a mosque in Philadelphia was taken into custody after police said that he and the imam of his mosque had attempted to cut off a person’s hand with a 2-foot-long machete.

After a prayer service at the Al Masjid Ur Razzaq Ul Karim mosque on July 14, the alleged perpetrator Mery Mitchell confronted his victim. Police lieutenant John Walker said that the confrontation revolved around the 46-year-old victim, who was known for helping the mosque leaders organize prayer services, being accused of stealing money from the mosque. Upon denying the charges, the victim was reportedly dragged from the stairs near the prayer room to the back yard, where the emir and the imam attempted to chop off his hands with a machete.

“They threw the victim to the ground and held his right arm against a log. One of the offenders grabbed a machete from inside the mosque, and struck the victim near his wrist. The blade cut through some of his tendons,” said Walker.

Although the victim was immediately rushed to a hospital, doctors said that he would still require reconstructive surgery. The weapon of attack was retrieved from the mosque on July 17, but only after investigators secured a search warrant.

The 37-year-old Mitchell has many aliases and he has been charged with criminal conspiracy, aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangerment and other offenses in the past. While the 35-year-old imam remains free, Walker said that the police would soon obtain an arrest warrant for him as well.

Photo Credit: The Counter Jihad Report