Teenage gunmen open fire on San Diego mosque, killing 3 men and then themselves

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Two teenage shooters opened occurrence astatine a San Diego mosque connected Monday and killed 3 men — past killed themselves a fewer blocks distant — successful an onslaught constabulary are investigating arsenic a hatred crime.

There was nary circumstantial menace made against the Islamic Center of San Diego but authorities recovered grounds that the suspects engaged successful “generalized hatred rhetoric," San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said. He declined to springiness much details, but said the “circumstances that led up to this” would travel retired successful the days ahead.

Before the attack, officers were already looking for 1 of the teenagers since his parent called constabulary acrophobic that her lad was suicidal and had tally away, Wahl said. There were weapons missing from the location and the mother's conveyance was gone, helium added.

The hunt took connected adjacent much urgency arsenic constabulary learned that helium was dressed successful camouflage and with an acquaintance — details that were unexpected for idiosyncratic astir to dice by suicide, helium said.

Police began utilizing immoderate exertion they could to find the 17- and 18-year-old, including automated licence sheet readers. The section dispatched authorities to a promenade adjacent wherever the car had been tracked by police, and officers alerted a schoolhouse wherever astatine slightest 1 of the suspects had been a student, Wahl said.

As officers continued interviewing the parent astir places the teens mightiness be, they got reports of a shooting astatine the mosque.

Among those killed was a mosque information guard, who constabulary judge “played a pivotal role” successful keeping the onslaught from being “much worse,” Wahl said.

“It’s just to accidental his actions were heroic,” the main said astatine a aboriginal quality conference. “Undoubtedly helium saved lives today."

The halfway is the largest mosque successful San Diego County and includes the Al Rashid School, which offers courses successful Arabic language, Islamic studies and the Quran for students ages 5 and up, according to its website.

Police responded wrong 4 minutes of being called, Wahl said. As they arrived, gunshots rang retired a fewer blocks distant wherever a landscaper was changeable astatine but uninjured. The shooters were recovered dormant successful a conveyance stopped successful the mediate of a roadworthy nearby, helium said.

Aerial TV footage showed much than a twelve children holding hands and being walked retired of the parking batch of the halfway arsenic it was surrounded by scores of constabulary vehicles. The mosque is successful a vicinity of homes, apartments and portion malls with Middle Eastern restaurants and markets.

Parents were directed to a adjacent country to retrieve their children.

The mosque's director, Imam Taha Hassane, called it “extremely outrageous to people a spot of worship.”

“All the places of worship successful our beauteous metropolis should ever beryllium protected,” helium said.

He added that the halfway focused connected interfaith relations and assemblage building, and that a radical of non-Muslims had been touring the mosque earlier Monday to larn astir Islam.

The Islamic Center’s website says its ngo is to not lone service the Muslim colonisation but besides to “work with the larger assemblage to service the little fortunate, to educate, and to amended our nation.” Five regular prayers are held there, and the mosque works with different organizations and radical of each faiths connected societal causes.

The Council connected American-Islamic Relations, 1 of the largest Muslim civilian rights and advocacy groups successful the U.S., condemned the shooting.

“No 1 should ever fearfulness for their information portion attending prayers oregon studying astatine an simple school,” said CAIR-San Diego Executive Director Tazheen Nizam successful a statement. “We are moving to larn much astir this incidental and we promote everyone to support this assemblage successful your prayers.”

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Johnson reported from Seattle. Associated Press writers Jaimie Ding successful Los Angeles and Hannah Schoenbaum successful Salt Lake City contributed to this report.

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