San Diego mosque shooters met online and shared hateful views, FBI says
Listen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.The teenagers who killed three people at a San Diego mosque met online and shared a "broad hatred" toward different religions and races, U.S. authorities said Tuesday. Mark Remily of the FBI said writings by the suspects have been uncovered, but authorities have declined to specify which ideologies or views they expressed. Thirty firearms and a crossbow have been recovered from two residences searched in connection with the investigation. Remily said authorities are still trying to uncover whether the shooters had broader plans.Hours before Monday's attack, police were racing to find the two teenagers who would ultimately be deemed responsible. The mother of one teen reported her son was suicidal and had run away, according to San Diego police Chief Scott Wahl, who said weapons and her vehicle were missing from the family's home. An aerial view of the Islamic Center of San Diego on Tuesday. (Jae C. Hong/The Associated Press)Two hours after the mother's call, the shooting started at the Islamic Center of San Diego, which also houses a school.The suspects, aged 17 and 18, were found dead in a nearby vehicle, having killed themselves. The shooting was the latest in a string of attacks on houses of worship and comes amid rising threats and hate crimes targeting the Muslim and Jewish communities since the beginning of war in the Middle East. 'Hate rhetoric' played a role: policeAuthorities executed search warrants for the houses of the suspects as they pieced together how and why the attack happened. There was no specific threat against the Islamic centre, which is the largest mosque in San Diego, but authorities found the suspects engaged in "generalized hate rhetoric," Wahl said.Muslim American organizations were quick to point out that anti-Muslim rhetoric has been on the rise across the U.S. "Words have consequences," said Mohamed Gula, interim CEO of advocacy group Emgage Action.Victims prevented more bloodshedAmong those killed was security guard Amin Abdullah, who authorities said helped thwart the attack.Abdullah immediately recognized the two teenagers as a threat and opened fire on them as they ran past him outside the mosque, according to Wahl, who added the suspects then paused to return fire. Mourners gather at the security office of the Islamic Center of San Diego on Tuesday. (Mike Blake/Reuters)In the midst of the confrontation, it was Abdullah who transmitted the radio call that activated a security lockdown at the mosque, which Wahl also credited with preventing further bloodshed there.Abdullah was fatally shot in the parking lot along with two other men who helped distract the suspects after they stormed into the building, by drawing the teens' attention through a window and luring them back outside as police were closing in on the scene, Wahl said. Those two men, identified as Mansour Kaziha and Nader Awad, were cornered and shot dead by the gunmen outside. A video monitor shows images of mosque shooting victims Mansour Kaziha, Amin Abdullah and Nadir Awad at a news conference in San Diego on Tuesday. (Arafat Barbakh/Reuters)Wahl said all three victims gave their lives to spare others from harm, but he singled out Abdullah for special praise due to his "heroic action," adding that at first he "had no idea how heroic those actions were." "His actions, without a doubt, delayed, distracted and ultimately deterred those two individuals from gaining access to the greater areas of the mosque, where as many as 140 kids were within 15 feet [4.5 metres] of these suspects," Wahl told reporters.Taha Hassane, the imam and director of the Islamic centre, called all three of the victims "our martyrs and our heroes." WATCH | Imam condemns targeting of places of worship:The director of the Islamic Center of San Diego, Imam Taha Hassane, decried the deadly shooting at the mosque on Monday that police say is being investigated as a hate crime. 'All the places of worship in our beautiful city should always be protected," he said.
