SAN DIEGO — Two young men shot and killed three people in… Attack on a mosque in California They became radicalized online where they first met and shared white supremacist views, according to authorities and writings they authored.
The couple “did not discriminate about who they hated,” Mark Remilly, the FBI’s lead agent in San Diego, said Tuesday.
The writings, obtained by The Associated Press, include hate speech toward Jewish people, Muslims and Islam, as well as the LGBTQ+ community, black people, women, and both the political left and right. They both express their belief that white people are being eliminated, and one writes about mental health struggles and rejection from women.
Investigators also found at least 30 guns, ammunition and crossbows in two homes after Monday’s attack in San Diego and are trying to uncover whether the shooters had broader plans, Remelli said. Police said the shooters, Ken Clark, 17, and Caleb Vasquez, 18, committed suicide.
The teens’ family could not immediately be reached for comment.
Authorities paid tribute to the three men killed – including Amin AbdullahLovely security guard – to slow down attackers Islamic Center of San Diego And preventing them from reaching 140 students just steps away.
Imam Taha Hassan said Abdullah clashed with the suspects in a gun battle and called for his radio to be turned off. He “sacrificed his life to prevent them from entering the classroom.”
The shooting was the latest in A series of attacks on places of worship and comes amid increasing threats and hate crimes targeting Muslim and Jewish communities since the beginning of the war in the Middle East. Impose increases in security.
Authorities said there was no specific threat against the Islamic Center, which is the largest mosque in San Diego and also houses a school. In Cain’s writings, he calls for the “extermination” of Muslims.
The document includes symbols that have long been associated with white supremacists and Nazis. The two referred to themselves as “Tarrant’s sons,” an apparent reference to the white supremacist who Attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, In 2019, killing 51 people.
American Muslim organizations have noted that anti-Muslim rhetoric is on the rise across the United States
The FBI said the two suspects met online before discovering they lived in the San Diego area. “In terms of how extremism occurs, we are still digging into that,” Remelli said.
Clark had been attending school online since 2021 and was scheduled to graduate next month, said James Canning, a spokesman for the San Diego Unified School District. In 2024, he was a member of the Madison High School wrestling team. Canning said Clark had no record of disciplinary issues at the high school.
Neighbors Marne and Ted Celaya said they last saw Clark a few hours before the shooting, and that he waved to him as he got into the car alone and drove away. They described the family as good neighbors and recalled watching Cain grow up.
“It’s unbelievable,” Marne Celaya said of the shooting. “He helped me bring my groceries.”
Police said the security guard opened fire when the shooters arrived at the Islamic Center and attempted to storm it.
Police Chief Scott Wall said that when the gunmen made their way into the lobby, they hit the guard, who continued to shoot at them, forcing them to return outside, where the attackers shot him dead.
The couple went back inside and searched rooms that had been emptied during the lockdown, Wahl said. They went out to the parking lot, where they shot Mansour Kaziha and Nadir Awad, killing them, according to police. Wahl said the men pushed the attackers away from the building.
Hassan said Kaziha, known as Abu Al-Ezz, “was everything” to the Islamic Center. “He was the handyman. He was the cook. He was the caretaker,” Hassan said.
Abdullah worked at the mosque for more than a decade.
Family friend Sheikh Othman bin Farouk said: “He wanted to defend the innocent, so he decided to become a security guard.”
Hassan cried when leaders of different religions embraced him at a vigil on Tuesday evening to honor the victims. He told the hundreds who gathered in a park next to the center that they were there to celebrate community unity.
“We are here to celebrate the patience and resilience of the Muslim community,” he said. “We are here to honor our heroes and martyrs.”
The Islamic Center is located in a neighborhood that includes Middle Eastern restaurants and markets. It includes Al-Rashid School, which offers courses in the Arabic language, Islamic studies, and the Holy Qur’an for students ages 5 and above, according to its website.
Josie Anna Edenshaw, who has been going to the mosque for three years, said the mosque is particularly welcoming to new Muslims.
“They have always opened their doors, even to non-Muslim people, and they invite people to Ramadan dinner,” Edenshaw said. “Everyone in this mosque will smile at you,” he said, using the Arabic word for mosque.
The center’s imam said Tuesday that the mosque and its community have not been safe from threats over the years.
“We never expected things like this to happen at the Islamic Center of San Diego,” Hassan said. “I mean we’re used to getting hate mail, hate mail, people driving by and cursing all that stuff. But such a terrible crime, we never expected this.”
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This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Nadir Awad’s first name. Rare and not rare.
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Besecker reported from Washington and Sawyer reported from Toledo. Eric Tucker in Washington; Maryam Pham in Winter Park, Florida; Jimmy Ding and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles; Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City; Javier Arcega and Gregory Paul in San Diego; Gene Johnson and Haley Golden in Seattle also contributed.