SAN DIEGO (AP) — On Monday, two teenage shooters, aged 17 and 18, opened fire at the Islamic Center of San Diego, resulting in the deaths of three men before taking their own lives a few blocks away. The police are investigating this tragic event as a hate crime.
Although there was no specific threat to the mosque prior to the shooting, San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl stated that evidence of “generalized hate rhetoric” was discovered in relation to the suspects. Further details regarding the circumstances leading up to the attack are expected to emerge in the coming days.
Prior to the shooting, police were already searching for one of the teenagers after his mother reported that he was suicidal and had run away. Weapons were missing from the home, and the mother’s vehicle was unaccounted for. The urgency of the search escalated when officers learned that he was dressed in camouflage, which was unusual behavior for someone contemplating suicide. Chief Wahl mentioned that police utilized various technologies, including automated license plate readers, to locate the teenagers.
Officers were dispatched to a mall where the vehicle had been tracked, and they alerted a nearby school attended by at least one of the suspects. As law enforcement continued interviewing the mother to determine possible locations for the teens, reports of the shooting at the mosque came in.
Among the victims was a mosque security guard identified as Amin Abdullah, recognized for his over a decade of service at the Islamic Center. Authorities believe Abdullah played a crucial role in preventing the situation from becoming much worse, with Chief Wahl describing his actions as heroic and life-saving.
The Islamic Center of San Diego is the largest mosque in the county and also houses the Al Rashid School, which offers Arabic language, Islamic studies, and Quran courses to students aged 5 and up. Police responded swiftly to the shooting, arriving within four minutes. As officers were on-site, gunshots were reported in the vicinity, where a landscaper was shot at but fortunately remained uninjured. The shooters were later found dead in a vehicle in the middle of a nearby road.
Aerial footage from the scene depicted numerous children being escorted in a line by police out of the mosque's parking lot as the area was heavily secured by law enforcement. Parents were directed to a designated area to reunite with their children. Imam Taha Hassane, the mosque's director, condemned the attack as “extremely outrageous,” emphasizing that places of worship should always be protected.
He pointed out that the Islamic Center actively promotes interfaith relations and community engagement, noting that a group of non-Muslims had visited the mosque earlier that day to learn about Islam. The center's mission includes serving not only the Muslim community but also collaborating with the broader community to support the less fortunate and engage in educational initiatives.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), one of the largest Muslim civil rights organizations in the United States, condemned the shooting and expressed concern for the safety of individuals attending prayers and studying at nearby educational facilities. CAIR-San Diego Executive Director Tazheen Nizam urged the community to keep the affected individuals in their prayers.
Former President Donald Trump characterized the incident as a “terrible situation,” further highlighting the gravity of the attack on a place of worship.
Johnson reported from Seattle, with contributions from Associated Press writers Jaimie Ding in Los Angeles and Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City.
