After four Muslim men were killed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, police said they had arrested the primary suspect. Suspect Muhammad Syed was arrested on Tuesday and has been charged with the murder of two people.
Investigators found several firearms from Syed’s home. Police are probing the deaths of two other people to see if Syed is also linked to them.
I am incredibly grateful for the hard work of all those who acted swiftly to help bring justice to the families and victims affected by these tragic crimes. Meeting some of the family members of the victims today was a very lovely moment which I will never forget. pic.twitter.com/97Wv72SxAI
— APD Police Chief (@ABQPoliceChief) 9 August 2022
These deaths have happened in the last nine months. Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina announced Tuesday evening that he had apprehended the suspect after tracking down a vehicle he believed was involved.
The last three murders have been committed in the last two weeks. Investigators believe the attacks may have been motivated by personal conflict.
However, police did not comment on reports or disclose information that the suspect, a Sunni Muslim, may have targeted the victims because he was upset that his daughter had married a Shia Muslim.
Police have not said that the attacks were a hate crime.
Investigators revealed that the suspect had come to the US from Afghanistan. All three victims were from Pakistan and they had gone to the same mosque in which the suspect had also attended. was the fourth victim Afghanistan who was killed last November.
The victims were fired without warning.
We traced the vehicle involved in the recent murder of a Muslim man in Albuquerque. The driver has been taken into custody and is our primary suspect in the murders. We will update the media later this afternoon.
— APD Police Chief (@ABQPoliceChief) 9 August 2022
Kyle Hartsock, deputy commander of the Police Criminal Investigation Department, said the suspect was arrested after his car stopped and a SWAT team searched his home. Hartsock said the arrest was due to information received from the public two days after police distributed a photo of the suspect’s vehicle.
Wanted: APD releases photos of vehicle interested in shooting 4 Muslim men. If you have any information about this vehicle please contact Crime Stoppers at (505)-843-STOP. pic.twitter.com/1h0vUvtbSg
— Albuquerque Police Department (@ABQPOLICE) 7 August 2022
Police said in a news release that detectives had discovered evidence that the suspect knew the victims and that the shootings there may have been motivated by interpersonal conflict.
Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said in a statement that he hoped citizens would feel safe after the arrest. US President Joe Biden said that there is no place in America for ‘such despicable attacks’.
Serial killings and the search for the suspect caught the attention of the entire state, and New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham sent additional law enforcement officers to the city to help police and investigators. A reward was also announced for the informer for the arrest and conviction of the suspect.
(with inputs from BBC)
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