‘We are considering this a hate crime until it’s not,’ San Diego police chief says, adding that both shooters are dead.
Three Muslims have been killed at a mosque complex in the US city of San Diego in a shooting that authorities are investigating as a hate crime.
San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said two suspected shooters in the attack on Monday at the Islamic Center of San Diego (ICSD), which houses a mosque and a school, were found dead of apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
“Because of the Islamic centre location, we are considering this a hate crime until it’s not,” Wahl told reporters at a news conference.
The suspects were two males, believed to be aged 17 and 19, according to the police chief. All three victims were adults, and the children at the school were not physically harmed, according to authorities.
Wahl said one of the victims was a security guard at the Islamic centre, who played a “pivotal role” in ensuring the incident did not become far worse.
Wahl said the mother of one of the suspects had contacted police two hours before the shooting to report that her son was suicidal and had gone missing along with several weapons and her car.
Wahl said authorities were continuing to investigate to “figure out and piece together exactly what led to this moment”.
The San Diego Police Department had reported an active shooter incident at the ICSD before announcing that the threat was “neutralised”.
Taha Hassane, the imam of the mosque, described the ICSD as a place for people, including non-Muslims, to come together and pray, learn and celebrate.
“It is extremely outrageous to target a place of worship. Our Islamic centre is a place of worship,” Hassane said.
“To our local Muslim community, our prayers are with you,” Gloria said.
“I want to assure our Muslim community that we will do everything it takes to make sure that you can feel safe in this city, and no resource will be spared in making sure that our religious institutions and locations are protected in this sensitive time.”
The ICSD is located in a residential area in the Clairemont neighbourhood of San Diego, north of the city’s downtown.
Authorities have yet to announce the identities of the suspected shooters.
The incident comes amid heightened Islamophobia in the US, where politicians and commentators have repeatedly launched broadsides targeting the Muslim community.
US Congressman Randy Fine, an ally of President Donald Trump, said late last year that Muslims should “be destroyed”.
Later on Monday, Laura Loomer, a right-wing activist close to Trump, said the ICSD should be raided by the FBI and immigration authorities.
She shared a 2023 social media post by the wife of the mosque’s imam, accusing Israel of killing children.
“The mosque that was ‘supposedly’ shot up today,” Loomer wrote in an accompanying post. “Just remember the people who attend this mosque want us all to be killed.”
Trump said he was given a briefing about the situation and described it as “terrible”.
“I’ve been given some early updates, but we’re going to be going back and looking at it very strongly,” the president said.
Dozens of officials across the US condemned the shooting on Monday.
“We don’t have any details about a potential motive yet, but I’m devastated for those students, worshippers, and the Clairemont community. Everyone should be able to pray, worship, and learn in peace,” US Congresswoman Sara Jacobs, who represents San Diego, wrote on social media.
The office of California Governor Gavin Newsom explained that he is following the situation and coordinating with local law enforcement agencies.
“We are grateful to the first responders on the scene working to protect the community and urge everyone to follow guidance from local authorities,” the office said in a statement.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the local division of the agency is responding to the incident, promising that “all resources will be made available, assisting local partners”.
Police set up a reunification point for people in the area. The mosque posted on social media that children can be picked up from a nearby church.
After the shooting, the New York Police Department (NYPD) announced it was boosting protection for mosques in the city.
“While there is currently no known nexus to NYC or specific threats to NYC houses of worship, out of an abundance of caution, the NYPD is increasing deployments to mosques across the city,” the department said.
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