Killing of Muslim Men in U.S. Alarms Community

Date: 08 August 2022 - 21:30

News ID: ۱۰۵۵۲۰

ALBUQUERQUE (CNN) -- The ambush-style shootings of three Muslim men and the recent killing of a fourth in Albuquerque have alarmed the city’s Muslim community and triggered warnings for mosque-goers as police investigate how the shootings may be linked.
The killings of Muhammad Ahmadi, 62, Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, 27, Aftab Hussein, 41, and Naeem Hussain, 25, all have one commonality: the victims were all Muslim and of South Asian descent, according to Albuquerque police.
The three most recent killings happened within the span of two weeks, putting the city on edge as police probed for potential links between the attacks, and put a spotlight on an unsolved homicide from November 2021.
“While we are still sifting through all the evidence to look for more connections, it is deeply troubling that these three men were Muslim and of similar descent,” deputy commander of Albuquerque Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division, Kyle Hartsock, said.
Police have not come out with any descriptions of a suspect or suspects in the killings. They have, however, said they are seeking “a vehicle of interest,” which may be connected to the four killings. The vehicle is a dark silver sedan-style Volkswagen Jetta or Passat with tinted windows.
The most recent of the killings was reported Friday, when Naeem Hussain was found dead by Albuquerque police officers who responded to reports of a shooting just before midnight in the area of Truman Street and Grand Avenue.
After the discovery, Albuquerque police said the homicide “may be connected” to three previous killings of Muslim men from South Asia.
Those three men -- Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, Aftab Hussein and Muhammad Ahmadi -- were all “ambushed with no warning, fired on and killed,” Hartsock previously said.
Two of them, Muhammad Afzaal Hussain and Aftab Hussein, were both Pakistani men and were killed in Southeast Albuquerque near Central Avenue. Police said they “determined there is a connection” between those two deaths.
Muhammad Afzaal Hussain was shot and killed on Aug. 1. He was found on a sidewalk in the area of Cornell Street and Lead Avenue.

Just days before, on July 26, Aftab Hussein was found with apparent gunshot wounds in the 400 block of Rhode Island. He later died as a result of his injuries, police said.
As investigators probed the recent killings, they turned their attention to the Nov. 7, 2021, homicide of Muhammad Ahmadi, a Muslim man from Afghanistan who was killed outside a business he ran with his brother on San Mateo Boulevard.
Naeem Hussain migrated as a refugee from Pakistan in 2016 -- fleeing persecution as a Shia Muslim -- and had just become a U.S. citizen last month, according to his brother-in-law, Ehsan Shahalami.
He opened his own trucking business this year and was described as being a kind, generous and hardworking person.
The day he was killed, he had attended a funeral for the two recent victims and expressed fear about the shootings, according to a spokesman with a mosque in Albuquerque.
Muhammad Afzaal Hussain worked on the planning team for the city of Española. He had studied law and human resource management at the University of Punjab in Pakistan before receiving both master’s and bachelor degrees in community and regional planning from the University of New Mexico, according to a news release from the mayor.
“Muhammad was soft-spoken and kind, and quick to laugh,” Mayor John Ramon Vigil said in a news release last Wednesday. “He was well-respected and well-liked by his coworkers and members of the community.”
Few details have been released about the two other victims. Police said Muhammad Ahmadi was a Muslim man from Afghanistan and Aftab Hussein was a Muslim man from Pakistan.
While police have not definitively said all four attacks are connected, they have said they are looking into whether it is the case.
“There is one strong commonality in all the victims; the race and religion,” Hartsock said in a Thursday briefing.
Authorities are asking the public to come forward with any information which might help in the investigation. Tips may be submitted to the Albuquerque Metro CrimeStoppers website.
The city is now increasing police presence at mosques, Muslim-affiliated schools and the University of New Mexico.
Local and national Muslim groups have been warning residents to be cautious.
“We urge everyone to take precautions and be aware of your surroundings including making sure that you are not being followed home and avoid walking alone at night,” Islamic Center of New Mexico posted on Facebook. “This is especially true for our members living in the southeast part of the city where these killings have taken place.”
The center said while there is no evidence its mosque is being targeted, it is still taking steps to provide additional security measures.
“The lives of Albuquerque Muslims are in danger. Whoever is responsible for this horrific, hateful shooting spree must be identified and stopped -- now,” stressed Council on American-Islamic Relations National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell.
The Council is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction of those responsible, the organization announced, calling the series of killings a “horrific, hateful shooting spree.”