Pakistani-American arrested on charges of beheading wife

A Pakistani-American, who founded a TV channel to dispel notions of Muslims being stereotyped as terrorists in the aftermath of 9/11, has been arrested on charges of beheading his estranged wife.

Muzzammil Hassan, founder of Bridges TV, which he launched in order to balance widespread images of Muslim extremism with moderate viewpoints, was charged with second-degree murder after his wife, Aasiya Hassan, was found beheaded on Thursday, media reports said on Monday.

Aasiya's body was found at the offices of the cable channel at Orchard Park in Buffalo in suburban New York. No weapon was recovered from the crime scene, police said.

According to the Buffalo News, 37-year-old Aasiya had filed for divorce and obtained an order of protection on February six, barring her husband (44) from their home in Orchard Park, police said.

"There had been problems before — there had been prior incidents of physical abuse," the paper quoted Corey Hogan, whose law firm represented Aasiya Hassan in the divorce proceeding.

"Obviously, this is the worst form of domestic violence possible," Erie County District Attorney Frank A Sedita III told the daily.

Bridges TV had been under financial strain, Khalid J Qazi, president of the Muslim Public Affairs Council of Western New York, said.