Three people were killed in a shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego (ICSD), the largest mosque in San Diego County, California. Police are investigating the attack as a hate crime. Two suspects, aged 17 and 18, died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds, authorities said.
The shooting occurred shortly before midday prayers. Officers responding to a 911 call from the centre found three people dead. A separate call reported shots fired from a vehicle two blocks away, where a landscaper may have been saved by a bullet deflected by his helmet. No children at the centre's school were harmed.
Among the deceased was a security guard, identified by a family friend as Amin Abdullah. Police Chief Scott Wahl described the guard's actions as heroic, stating he helped minimise the threat and likely saved lives. The mother of one suspect had alerted police two hours earlier that her son was missing along with weapons and her vehicle.
Investigators recovered evidence of 'generalised hate rhetoric' from the attackers, though no specific threat had been made against the centre. The FBI has set up a tip line and is seeking public assistance. Mayor Todd Gloria declared, 'Hate has no home in San Diego,' while Imam Taha Hassane called the targeting of a place of worship 'extremely outrageous'.
