Two teenage gunmen opened fire at a mosque in the United States city of San Diego on Monday, killing three men at the Islamic Center of San Diego before taking their own lives, authorities said, in what police are investigating as a hate crime.
The attack happened at the Islamic Center, described on its website as the largest mosque in San Diego County.
San Diego Police Department Chief Scott Wahl said officers responding to the mosque also received reports of gunfire several blocks away, where a landscaper was targeted but escaped without injury.
Police later discovered both suspects dead inside a vehicle abandoned in the middle of a nearby road.
Islamic Center Director, Imam Taha, Hassane said the mosque is committed to promoting interfaith understanding and strengthening ties within the wider community.
He disclosed that a group of non-Muslims had toured the mosque earlier on Monday to learn more about Islam.
According to Wahl, the mosque’s security guard was among the three victims killed in the attack.
Wahl said three men were killed and that both suspects are dead.
The police chief said both suspects are believed to be in their teens and that the case is considered to be a hate crime.
Gavin Newsom’s office said the California governor had been briefed on the incident, while the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services was working 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,” his office posted on the social platform X.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said he had also been briefed on the shooting at the religious centre located near Balboa Avenue and Interstate 805.
“Emergency personnel are on scene and actively working to protect the community and secure the area,” The Fil-Am mayor said.
Shortly after 1 p.m., the SDPD announced online that the “threat at the Islamic center has been neutralized.”
