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Photos of Suspect in Islamic Cleric's Killing Released

A security camera image of the suspect in the murder of prominent Muslim cleric Metin Mekhtiyev.

Police released surveillance photos Friday of a man suspected in the brutal stabbing death of a prominent Muslim cleric in Moscow earlier this week.

The images show a man wearing a black baseball cap, gray hooded sweatshirt and a black jacket, stroll up to the counter of a supermarket on Tuesday, shortly before Metin Mekhtiyev was stabbed to death by a group of people nearby.

Investigators have said they believe the motive for the attack was robbery, as the killers made off with the 33-year-old Mekhtiyev's expensive Vertu mobile phone and cash, but his supporters said they suspected the fatal assault was racially motivated.

Meanwhile, thousands of mourners brought traffic to a standstill near Prospect Mira on Friday for Mekhtiyev's funeral.

Mekhtiyev was a well-known figure at Moscow's Islamic Cultural Center.

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