Police investigate murders of four Muslim men in US

The ambush-style shootings of three Muslim men and the recent murder of a fourth in Albuquerque, New Mexico, have alarmed the city’s Muslim community and prompted warnings for mosque-goers as police investigate how the attacks took place. may be linked.

The murders of Mohammad Ahmadi, 62, Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, 27, Aftab Hussein, 41, and Naeem Hussain, 25, all bear a similarity: The victims were Muslims and of South Asian descent, according to Albuquerque police.

The three most recent murders took place over the span of two weeks, putting the city on edge as police investigated possible links between the attacks and drew attention to an unsolved homicide from November 2021.

“While we are still reviewing all the evidence to look for further connections, it is deeply concerning that these three men are Muslims and of similar descent,” said Deputy Commander of the Division of Criminal Investigations at the Albuquerque Police Department, Kyle Hartsock.

The FBI is assisting in the investigation and an online portal has been created for residents to submit videos and images that can help authorities investigate the murders. The local Crime Stoppers Board also voted to increase the reward for information leading to an arrest to $20,000.

Police have not released any description of a suspect or suspects in the killings. They, however, said they are looking for “a vehicle of interest”, which could be related to the four murders. The car is a dark silver Volkswagen Jetta or Passat style sedan with unfilmed windows.

Here’s what we know about the murders and the investigation so far:

How did the murders happen?

The most recent of the murders was reported on Friday, when Naeem Hussain was found dead by Albuquerque police officers who responded to reports of a shooting shortly before midnight in the Truman Street and Grand Avenue area.

After the discovery, Albuquerque police said the murder “may be linked” to three previous murders of South Asian Muslim men. These three men – Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, Aftab Hussein and Mohammad Ahmadi – were all “ammbushed without warning, shot at and killed,” Hartsock said earlier.

Two of them, Muhammad Afzaal Hussain and Aftab Hussein, were both Pakistani men and were killed in southeastern Albuquerque, near Central Avenue. Police said they “determined that there is a connection” between these two deaths.

Muhammad Afzaal Hussain was shot and killed on 1 August. He was found on a sidewalk in the Cornell Street and Lead Avenue area. A few days earlier, on July 26, Aftab Hussein was found with apparent gunshot wounds in Rhode Island’s 400 block. He later died as a result of his injuries, police said.

As investigators delve into the recent murders, they turned their attention to the November 7, 2021, murder of Mohammad Ahmadi, an Afghan Muslim who was killed outside a business he ran with his brother on San Mateo Boulevard.

Who are the victims?

Naeem Hussain migrated as a refugee from Pakistan in 2016 — fleeing persecution as a Shia Muslim — and had just become a US citizen last month, according to his brother-in-law, Ehsan Shahalami.

He opened his own trucking business this year and has been described as a kind, generous and hardworking person.

On the day he was killed, he attended the funeral of the two recent victims and expressed fear about the shooting, according to a spokesman for a mosque in Albuquerque.

Muhammad Afzaal Hussain worked on the Española city planning team. He studied law and human resource management at the University of Punjab in Pakistan before receiving a master’s and bachelor’s degree in community and regional planning from the University of New Mexico, according to a statement from the mayor.

“Muhammad was soft-spoken and kind, and he laughed fast,” Mayor John Ramon Vigil said in a press release last Wednesday. “He was well respected and liked by his co-workers and community members.”

Few details have been released about the other two victims. Police said Mohammad Ahmadi was a Muslim from Afghanistan and Aftab Hussein was a Muslim from Pakistan.

Where’s the investigation?

So far, police have released a flyer showing a “vehicle of interest” in all four murders. But it is still unclear who the car belongs to or how they are potentially connected to the attacks.

Police said the vehicle “is suspected of being used as a means of transport in the recent killings of four Muslim men”.

“We have very, very strong leadership. We have a vehicle of interest… we have to find that vehicle,” said Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller. “We don’t know at this point what it’s associated with, or who owns it.”

While police have not definitively said all four attacks are connected, they said they are investigating whether that is the case.

“There is a strong similarity in all victims; race and religion,” Hartsock said at a briefing on Thursday.

Authorities are asking the public to come forward with any information that could help with the investigation. Tips can be submitted to the Albuquerque Metro CrimeStoppers website.

How are local and national leaders responding?

Following Friday’s murder, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Saturday that she will send more state police officers to Albuquerque.

“I am angry and sad that this is happening in New Mexico, a place that prides itself on diversity of culture and thought. That’s not who we are,” Grisham said in a statement. “We will not stop in our quest for justice for the victims and their families and we are bringing every resource to bear to arrest the killer or killers – and we will find them.”

The attacks also drew condemnation from President Joe Biden, who said he was “angry and saddened” by the attacks.

“While we await a full investigation, my prayers are with the victims’ families and my government stands strongly with the Muslim community,” Biden wrote on Twitter.

The city is now increasing police presence in mosques, Muslim-affiliated schools and at the University of New Mexico.

“Albuquerque is on edge right now, and I want to make it clear that we, and our law enforcement partners, are directing all possible resources to these cases. Let’s protect our community and bring the perpetrator of these crimes to justice. Speak out against these senseless killings and stand with our Muslim community against bigotry and violence in all forms,” Keller said.

“We hear from the community that the fear is so strong that there is even a concern about things like groceries and meals for certain people in certain areas of the city,” Keller said at a weekend briefing. “Our senior affairs department and our community safety department will provide meals as long as we need them, for anyone affected by this tragedy who needs a meal.”

Meanwhile, local and national Muslim groups have been warning residents to be cautious.

“We urge everyone to take precautions and be aware of their surroundings, including making sure they are not being followed home and avoiding walking alone at night,” the Islamic Center of New Mexico posted on Facebook. “This is especially true for our members who live in the southeastern part of the city where these murders took place.”

The center said that while there was no evidence that its mosque was being attacked, it was still taking steps to provide additional security measures.

“The lives of Muslims in Albuquerque are in danger. Whoever is responsible for this wave of horrific and heinous shootings must be identified and stopped – now,” stressed the deputy national director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Edward Ahmed Mitchell.

The council is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible, the organization announced, calling the series of murders a “horrible and hateful shooting”.

Claudia Dominguez and Ashley Killough of CNN contributed to this story.