The mosque says the crime was not targeted at the mosque or Muslims.Author: WBIR StaffPublished: 12:57 PM EDT April 10, 2019Updated: 12:57 PM EDT April 10, 2019
A Knoxville man is charged with attempted first degree murder after he stabbed another man in a Knoxville mosque.
According to court records, Daniel Jay Porter was in an argument inside the Annoor Mosque, located on 13th Street in the Fort Sanders area, with Shadab A. Siddiqi on Monday. Porter eventually picked up a steak knife and stabbed Siddiqi in the chest as the victim was trying to back away.
911 was called after the stabbing, and officers arrived at the mosque just before 6:30 p.m.
Siddiqi was taken to UT Medical Center for emergency surgery but did survive.
Court records show that Porter admitted what happened and that the altercation was captured on video.
The Muslim Community of Knoxville posted about the incident on its Facebook page.
“We wanted to assure everyone that the incident involved two people who knew each other and was not a crime targeted at the masjid or at Muslims. The offender was taken into custody and does not pose a continuing risk. Because of the ongoing investigation, we are unable to share any further details but wanted to ease safety concerns that people may have had upon hearing the news.”
Porter was charged with attempted first degree murder and is being held on a $200,000 bond. He has a preliminary hearing scheduled for April 22.
