Hundreds attend vigil for slain muslim teen Nabra Hassanen

A memorial for a murdered Muslim teen was set on fire at Washington's Dupont Circle and a man was detained shortly afterward.

A memorial for Nabra Hassanen, the 17-year-old Muslim girl who was murdered on her way back to her mosque for an all-night prayer session in Virginia on Sunday, was set on fire in Washington D.C. on Wednesday.

Tawny Wright, a spokeswoman for the FCPD, said investigators continue to pour over the details and conduct interviews.

Nabra Hassanen's body was found in a pond in Sterling, Virginia, just hours after she was struck with a baseball bat by Darwin Torres.

Fairfax County police said if they find any evidence the killing was a hate crime, they will pursue appropriate charges. "We are still sorting out all of the facts". According to the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, hate crimes like these have risen 20 percent in the past year.

Police said the incident occurred at about 3:40 a.m. Sunday, when a group of teenagers was heading to an overnight event at a mosque.

Police say 17-year-old Nabra Hassanen was bludgeoned with a baseball bat early Sunday by a motorist who drove up to about 15 Muslim teenagers as they walked or bicycled along a road. Police say the driver chased the group in his vehicle, then got out with a baseball bat and caught up with Hassanen, brutally beating her. It is alleged that he then dragged her body to his vehicle and drove to a second location where police suspect he raped her. Stay on top of breaking news stories with the ABC11 News App In 2015, Barakat's brother Deah, Deah's wife Yusor Abu-Salha and her sister, Razan, were murdered in Chapel Hill.

"The Fairfax County Police Department has partnered closely with the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office with the common goal of justice for Nabra as well as for her family, friends and community", FCPD said in a news release.

He was arrested after he was seen driving suspiciously in the area while officers were still searching for Nabra.

Martinez has been held in jail in Fairfax, Virginia, since his arrest.

Mourners held signs and flowers as they listened to speakers at the vigil. "An angel was taken". "We never thought it was going to happen in our neighbourhood", said Rhab Saad, who lives in the same apartment complex as the Hassanens.

The case continued to strike a chord well beyond Virginia on Tuesday.

Her funeral is planned for Wednesday afternoon, with a private burial to follow.

Rania Salem, 21, of Arlington was one of the first to arrive.

"She was such a lovely young lady", family friend Moheamed Mukhtar said.

By Tuesday, almost 11,000 people had pledged contributions of more than $290,000 to a fund for Nabra's family. Instead, they say his "anger over the encounter" with the teens led to the violence, and they are calling the incident an act of road rage. She and her family members believe that non-black Muslims often deny the extent to which black-Muslims are targeted.

Nabra's family said they feel certain she was abducted and killed because she was in Islamic clothing as she returned to the mosque, wearing a long women's garment known as an abaya and a hijab.

"This is a hate crime", Mahmoud Hassanen said.

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The mosque expressed hope police willl determine what motivated the crime but cautioned: "We request the community to not speculate on the motives and jump to conclusions".

"In Islam, we are taught that the Uma, which means the community, is like a human body so when one part of the human body aches, the rest of the body aches", said Abdul Khadri. She also said ADAMS is talking with law enforcement as they work toward investigating the case to its fullest extent.

Nabra's father told detectives that he thinks his daughter was killed because of her religion. Some wore Islamic robes, others wore street clothes.