MD Mosque Assaults Preceded Fatal Hit-And-Run In Manassas: Police

MANASSAS,VA—A Clarksburg, Md., man already facing a murder charge in connection with a hit-and-run in Manassas has been linked to two incidents at Maryland mosques in Montgomery County.

Montgomery County Police say they have connected 29-year-old Muhammad Taha to crimes in Gaithersburg and Germantown — one was on March 22 and the other was on March 24. He has been charged with attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault, and malicious destruction of property. Both those incidents, according to authorities, preceded a fatal hit-and-run in the 9600 block of Cloverhill Road.

On March 22, a pedestrian was struck by a vehicle at the Islamic Center of Maryland, a mosque on Woodfield Road in Gaithersburg. The victim was taken to a local hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Part of the incident was caught on surveillance video. Police said they also obtained a description of the vehicle and evidence at the scene.

Two days later, police were called to the Islamic Society of Germantown at 19825 Blunt Rd. for the report of a suspicious situation. According to authorities, Taha was seen circling the mosque's parking lot in his vehicle before he got out and used a brick to vandalize a car. He reportedly fled the scene after striking another parked vehicle.

Police said Taha then traveled to Manassas and intentionally struck 66-year-old Shamsa Begum, who later died in a hospital.

Taha was later arrested by Prince William County Police at a convenience store on Dumfries Road. He was charged with second-degree murder, felony hit-and-run, and other charges related to the incident. He's in the Prince William County Adult Detention Center with no bond.

Patch editor Alessia Grunberger contributed to this story.