Ex-con accused of fatally shooting beloved Muslim imam on Christmas Eve in Ohio

Police in Ohio have made an arrest in connection to the death of a prominent Muslim imam who was slain two months ago.

On Dec. 24, Mohamed Hassan Adam, 48, was shot in the head, neck, torso and thigh and found dead outside his van in Columbus, Ohio.

Two days earlier, Adam, an imam at the Masjid Abu Hurairah Mosque and prominent member of the city’s Somali community, was last seen alive leaving home to go pick up his child at day care.

Police developed John W. Wooden Jr., 46, as a suspect in the case and executed a search warrant at his home on Feb. 18.

Investigators allegedly found a shotgun in the basement as well as a loaded handgun in a laundry basket in the kitchen, state Franklin County court records obtained by The Columbus Dispatch.

Authorities took Wooden into custody without incident when he showed up at the residence while the search was in progress.

Wooden was booked into the Franklin County jail on a federal charge of weapons possession by a convicted felon.

“A ballistics march later confirmed the handgun found in the kitchen was the weapon used to kill Adam,” court records state, according to the outlet.

On Feb. 24, police also charged Wooden with Adam’s murder.

At a press conference, police indicated the accused and the victim had a business transaction with each other, but officials declined to elaborate further, WCMH-TV reported.

Wooden previously served over 10 years for a federal robbery conviction and was released last March, federal court records show.