The Beit El-Maqdis Islamic Center in Brooklyn hosted more than 100 mourners as Saleh’s immediate family members, including his father, Ahmed Saleh, and his two brothers, surrounded the coffin. The elder Saleh’s eyes welled with tears as he placed one hand on the wooden casket, which was covered with a sijada, a prayer cloth adorned with verses from the Quran.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani also made a surprise visit to the service, joining the family and mourners in prayer, crouching beside the coffin.
Before joining the prayer, Hizzoner met with the family behind closed doors. During the meeting, a source said Saleh’s brother, Hussein, pleaded with Mamdani to use his influence to help bring Saleh’s wife and children to the United States.
“Mr. Mayor, thank you for being here today. As I sit beside you grieving, my brother, I am also carrying his final wish. Abdul dreamed of bringing his wife and children here for a better future. I ask from my heart, please do everything in your power, working with federal partners to expedite their visas,” Hussein said.
Hussein told amNewYork that his brother’s final wish, as he lay dying, was for his family to be brought to the United States.
The 28-year-old father of two was shot to death during a dispute inside his bodega on East 13th Street and Avenue B on Saturday night. According to Saleh’s cousin, Basam Hussein, the suspect had harassed the family for over a year and had threatened to kill them on several occasions.
The night after Saleh returned from Yemen, where he had visited his wife and child, alleged gunman Kavone Horton returned to the store and shot Saleh, also injuring himself with a ricocheted bullet.
Following the prayer service, Saleh’s coffin was carried out of the mosque and transported to Marlboro Muslim Memorial Cemetery in New Jersey. Per Muslim tradition, the family opened the wooden casket and placed dirt inside before lowering his remains into the ground. Saleh’s family placed their hands on the shoulders of his brother, Wesam Saleh, who had witnessed his death, as dirt was placed over the coffin. Mourners tossed handfuls of soil before a digger began filling the grave.
Standing beside his son’s graveside, Ahmed Saleh told amNewYork that he plans to close the store and leave the city after the killing due to ongoing threats.
“I do not plan on staying. I closed down the store, and I do not plan on staying there due to threats,” Ahmed Saleh said of his business of 10 years. “I plan on leaving New York.”
Members of the East Village community also made the trip to New Jersey to honor the life of a man they said had become like family. For Ahmed, this underscored how deeply his son was loved.
“Everyone loved him in the community. He had just come back from Yemen on Friday, and he was excited to share the news with me that his wife’s visa case was approved,” Ahmed said.
The family said they are now focused on bringing his children to the United States by navigating a travel ban put in place by President Donald Trump and fulfilling his dying wish. They are working with U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman in an attempt to expedite the process.
“My office has been working closely with Abdul Saleh’s family to help bring his wife and children to the U.S. after this horrific tragedy. They have thus far been unable to enter the country as a direct result of President Trump’s inhumane and discriminatory travel ban, which prevents citizens of 19 countries, including Yemen, from getting a visa to come to the U.S. under nearly any circumstances. I am fighting every day against the cruel immigration policies that created this situation and will continue working to get Abdul’s family to America,” Goldman said.
