Two Teenagers Open Fire at San Diego Mosque, Killing 3
Al Jazeera Staff
Two teenagers, aged 17 and 19, opened fire at the San Diego Islamic Center on May 18, killing three people before committing suicide. Authorities are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime, with the mother of one suspect reporting missing weapons and a letter containing hateful rhetoric. A heroic security guard is credited with preventing more casualties.
Two teenagers, aged 17 and 19, opened fire at the San Diego Islamic Center in California on Monday (May 18), killing three men before fatally shooting themselves, according to police. The incident is being investigated as a hate crime.
At approximately 9:42 a.m. local time, police received a call from a mother reporting that her son had run away from home. The mother stated her son had expressed suicidal intentions and informed authorities that several weapons and a car had gone missing. About two hours later, officers received reports of an active shooter at the 7000 block of Eckstrom Avenue. They arrived within four minutes but found three people dead outside the building. San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said approximately 100 officers entered the center to secure the scene. “No officers fired their weapons,” he stated.
Gunfire was then heard several blocks away, where a gardener was shot at but not injured. The two suspects were later found dead inside a car parked on a nearby street. Police said the mother of one of the suspects had reported that the teens were wearing camouflage clothing and traveling together in the vehicle that had been reported missing. She also discovered a letter, but authorities did not disclose its contents. “There is definitely hateful rhetoric involved,” Chief Wahl said.
Among the victims was a security guard working at the center, whom officials described as heroic, playing a critical role in preventing the attack from being worse. “There is no doubt he saved many lives today,” Wahl added. Community leaders identified the guard as Amin Abdullah, a father of eight. Authorities have not yet released the names of the three victims.
The San Diego Islamic Center is the largest mosque in San Diego County, serving more than 5,000 worshippers. The complex also houses Al Rashid School, which teaches Arabic, Islamic studies, and the Quran to children aged five and older. The attack occurred one week before Eid al-Adha (the Feast of Sacrifice) and the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) condemned the shooting. “No one should fear for their safety while praying or learning at an elementary school,” said Tazheen Nizam, director of CAIR San Diego. New York City Councilmember Zohran Mamdani said, “Islamophobia threatens Muslim communities across the country. We must confront it head-on and unite against the politics of fear and division.” California Governor Gavin Newsom called the incident a “horrific violent attack” and asserted that “hate has no place in California.”
According to CAIR, in 2025 the organization recorded 8,683 complaints of anti-Muslim and anti-Arab bias, the highest since it began publishing data in 1996. A separate study by the Center for the Study of Organized Hate, released in April, found a sharp increase in anti-Muslim rhetoric from elected Republican officials since the start of 2025, with more than 1,100 social media posts classified as anti-Muslim prejudice.
The perimeter around the San Diego Islamic Center has now been reduced, and police have shifted from an emergency response to an investigative phase. They are urging the public to avoid the area and to download the Genasys Protect app for emergency alerts.
