Three victims identified in San Diego mosque attack: What to know
One of the victims, Amin Abdullah, was a security guard at the center who "played a pivotal role in preventing this from being much worse," San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said.
The three people killed Monday outside the Islamic Center of San Diego have been identified after two teenage gunmen opened fire in an attack authorities are investigating as a possible hate crime.
What happened: Authorities responded to reports of an active shooter at the Islamic Center at 11:43 a.m. local time Monday, according to San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl. Officers arrived four minutes later and found three men dead outside the mosque.
One of the victims was a security guard at the center, Wahl said at a news conference Monday, adding that the guard “played a pivotal role in preventing this from being much worse.” The San Diego branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim civil rights organization, has identified the security guard as Amin Abdullah, a father of eight.
A CAIR spokesperson told the BBC on Tuesday that the two other victims were Mansour Kaziha and Nader Awad.
Neither the victims’ nor the suspects’ identities have been confirmed by officials.
Wahl said the two suspects, ages 17 and 18, “appear to have died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds.” NBC News, citing law enforcement officials, identified the suspects Tuesday as Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18.
Wahl said the incident is being treated as a possible hate crime. “There was definitely hate rhetoric involved,” he said.
Background: Earlier Monday morning, police received a call from the mother of one of the suspects, reporting a “runaway juvenile,” said Wahl. The woman told authorities she believed her son was suicidal and reported that several weapons and her vehicle were missing. She also said her son had left with another individual, and that both were dressed in camouflage clothing.
Located in the Clairemont neighborhood, the Islamic Center of San Diego is the largest mosque in San Diego County and spans a large campus with multiple buildings.
In a statement on its website, the center said it was “heartbroken by the tragic shooting incident that occurred today on our campus."
“Places of worship are meant to be spaces of peace, prayer, reflection and community. Violence and hatred have no place in our society,” it added. The center will stay closed until further notice, according to the statement.
Know more: Speaking on Monday at a healthcare event in Washington, President Donald Trump called the shooting a “terrible situation.” He added, “I’ve been given some early updates, but we’re going to be going back and looking at it very strongly.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said in a post on X later Monday that the bureau had responded to the shooting and “all resources will be made available [to assist] local partners.”
The shooting comes amid heightened concern over rising anti-Muslim hate crimes in the US following the outbreak of the Gaza war. Since then, FBI-recorded anti-Muslim incidents increased by around 300%, while incidents targeting Jewish communities rose by 270% during the same timeframe.
A March 2025 report from the Council on American-Islamic Relations found that complaints of anti-Muslim and anti-Arab discrimination in the United States reached a record high in 2024, totaling 8,658 complaints.
