Bangladeshi immigrant NYPD officer Didarul Islam killed in Manhattan mass shooting
Despite Shooter Shane Tamura being a U.S.-born non-Muslim, Islamophobes blame immigrants, Muslims
New York City: In one of the deadliest mass shootings in New York City in nearly 25 years, four people were killed when a gunman opened fire inside a Manhattan office building Monday evening. Among the victims was 36-year-old NYPD officer Didarul Islam, a Bangladeshi immigrant and father of two, who is now being remembered as a hero by city officials and his community.
According to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, the suspect, identified as Shane Devon Tamura, a 27-year-old Nevada resident with a documented mental health history, entered the lobby of 345 Park Avenue just after business hours and began shooting with an M4-style rifle. After killing Officer Islam and others on multiple floors of the building, Tamura ultimately died by suicide.
Police recovered a note from the scene in which Tamura expressed anger over his mental health struggles, suggesting a possible link to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) from his time playing football. Authorities believe this may explain why Tamura appeared to target the building, which houses the NFL’s headquarters among other major firms.
Officer Islam, who was working an off-duty security job at the time, was the first person shot. Eyewitnesses say he tried to respond to the threat before being fatally struck. He leaves behind a pregnant wife, two sons, and elderly parents. According to reports, his father suffered a stroke upon hearing the tragic news.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD colleagues have publicly praised Officer Islam’s bravery. “He died doing what he believed in — serving his community,” said a senior police official. Officer Islam had joined the force three and a half years ago after leaving a job as a school security guard. Friends and family recall that he took great pride in wearing the NYPD badge as a symbol of dedication and sacrifice.
Community leaders and civil rights advocates have pointed out that while Islam’s heroism was clear, right-wing figures quickly resorted to Islamophobic rhetoric in the immediate aftermath of the attack, despite the fact that the shooter was a U.S.-born non-Muslim man. Commentator Wajahat Ali, writing in Zeteo, condemned far-right influencers like Laura Loomer and Charlie Kirk for using the tragedy to spread hate against immigrants and Muslims.
“Even facts can’t deter Loomer’s relentless crusade to demonize and annihilate Muslims,” Ali wrote. “Officer Islam died protecting his neighbors. That’s his legacy. Not even their hate can erase that.”
Ali also drew parallels to Mohammad Salman Hamdani, a 23-year-old Muslim NYPD cadet who was vilified in the media after 9/11, only to be later recognized as a hero who died trying to save lives during the terror attack.
The shooting has reignited debates around mental health, gun violence, and racialized narratives in media and politics. Yet amid the noise, Officer Islam’s story stands out, a Muslim immigrant who gave his life in service of a city that too often overlooks the sacrifices of its most marginalized residents.
As New York mourns, tributes continue to pour in for Officer Islam from across the country. From local mosques to fellow officers, one message is clear: he died a hero, and his legacy will not be forgotten.
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'Rear-guard action': BJP over Mamata accepting sports minister's resignation after Messi event
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Tuesday alleged that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's accepting Aroop Biswas' resignation as the state sports minister is nothing but a "rear-guard action" to douse public anger over the mismanagement of football icon Lionel Messi's event last week.
BJP co-in-charge for West Bengal Amit Malviya alleged that this is also an "open confession" that the Messi event fiasco was not accidental but a government-manufactured disaster, borne out of the poor governance of Banerjee, her ministers and the state bureaucracy.
Banerjee on Tuesday accepted Biswas' resignation as the sports minister in the wake of the controversy over the mismanagement of football icon Messi's event last week, a senior leader of the ruling TMC said.
Biswas, who had written to the chief minister seeking to be relieved of his responsibilities as sports minister, will continue as a cabinet minister, retaining charge of the power department.
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Reacting to the development, Malviya said in a post on X, "TMC Sports Minister Aroop Biswas resigns after the Messi fiasco and Mamata Banerjee accepts it in record time."
"Do not mistake this for accountability; this is nothing but a rear-guard action to douse public anger. anger! This is not 'Raj Dharma'," he added.
The BJP leader alleged that the incident was the outcome of "loot" of common people which is "so synonymous" with the TMC.
The incident was also the outcome of the "shameless VIP culture that TMC thrives on and deep-rooted cronyism promoted by Banerjee," he charged.
Malviya further alleged that Biswas' resignation exposes a "collective failure of Mamata Banerjee, her partisan bureaucracy, and her crony cabinet".
"This is a symbolic sacrifice, a political hoax, soon to be buried under layers of bureaucracy, with no justice, no accountability, and no remorse," the BJP leader said, adding, "No resignation will bring back the time lost, the money wasted, or the stolen chance for football lovers to witness Messi in Kolkata."
