Key takeaways:
- Amin Abdullah, a security guard and father of eight, was killed while protecting children and staff at the Islamic Center of San Diego during a shooting.
- Two teenage suspects, Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18, were found dead near the mosque, believed to have died by self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
- The shooting is being investigated as a hate crime, with anti-Islamic writings found in the suspects' car and hate rhetoric noted by police.
Amin Abdullah, a security guard fatally shot Monday during an attack at the Islamic Center of San Diego, has been praised for his courageous actions that helped protect more than a dozen children and staff at an adjacent school. Abdullah, a father of eight, was one of three people killed in the shooting, which police are investigating as a hate crime.
Authorities found the two suspected teenage gunmen, Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18, dead inside a vehicle near the mosque, believed to have died by self-inflicted gunshot wounds. Investigators are examining anti-Islamic writings found in the suspects’ car and have noted “hate rhetoric” linked to the attack. The motive remains under investigation.
San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl credited Abdullah for helping contain the situation before authorities responded and said his actions saved lives. “I think it’s fair to say his actions were heroic, and, undoubtedly, he saved lives today,” Wahl said.
The Islamic Center’s imam, Taha Hassane, confirmed that all teachers, students, and staff at the mosque’s school were safe. “Teachers, staff, and more than a dozen children were walked safely out of that building by police that afternoon, hand in hand,” said a fundraiser launched by the San Diego branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which has raised over $1.4 million for Abdullah’s family.
Friends and community members described Abdullah as kind and generous. Sam Hamideh, a parent familiar with Abdullah, recalled, “This guy, like, it didn’t matter who walked up … any random person could just walk up and, like, he would greet them, make sure they are OK.”
Mayte Gutierrez, a former employee of the Islamic Center’s school, said she knew Abdullah well and praised his courage during the attack.
The attack began around 11:45 a.m. local time in San Diego’s Clairemont neighborhood, home to the largest mosque in the county. Police initially investigated possible suspect locations at a nearby mall and Madison High School, as one suspect was reportedly associated with the school.
San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said the mother of one suspect called police to raise concerns about her son being suicidal and missing weapons. Police received the call as they were trying to locate the two teenagers.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria called the shooting a “violent act of hate” and announced increased police presence at places of worship to prevent future attacks. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned the incident as “an apparent act of anti-Muslim violence.”
CAIR’s California chapter linked the shooting to a broader climate of anti-Muslim rhetoric, with CEO Hussam Ayloush stating, “Numerous politicians have spent the past year claiming that all ‘mainstream Muslims’ should be destroyed, that American mosques and elementary schools should be shut down, and that American Muslims should be expelled from our nation.”
Imam Hassane urged the community to promote tolerance and love, saying, “This is something that we have never expected to take place, but at the same time the religious intolerance and the hate, unfortunately, that exists in our nation is unprecedented. All of us, we are responsible for spreading the culture of tolerance, the culture of love.”
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