The FBI is investigating whether the killing of a Muslim teenager outside a Somali mosque in Kansas City, Missouri, is a hate crime.
Police in the Midwestern city charged Ahmed Aden, 34, with first-degree murder after he allegedly ran down Abdisamad Sheikh-Hussein, 15, with his sport utility vehicle Thursday.
Witnesses said the boy's body flew into the air and that his legs were almost severed. He died at a hospital.
According to court records, Aden initially told police that he lost control of his car and that the death was an accident, but he later said he thought the teen was one of several men who had been threatening him.
Worshippers at the Somali community center and mosque alleged Aden, a Christian, threatened violence against Muslims.
They described Abdisamad as a smart and popular boy who was dedicated to Islam and studying the Quran.
