Amin Abdullah Killed Protecting Islamic Center of San Diego During Hate Crime Shooting

A shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego killed security guard Amin Abdullah and two other victims on Monday, and police said the attack was reported shortly before noon local time.

“SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – One of the victims in Monday’s shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego is being remembered as a hero for his actions as the situation unfolded”

10News

San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said Abdullah played a “pivotal role” in keeping the shooting from “being much worse,” and police said the victims were all found in front of the Islamic Center.

10News

ABC7 reported that while officers were responding to the mosque, the police department began to receive calls from just a couple blocks away that there was more active gunfire.

Police said the two suspects, ages 17 and 18, are dead from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds, and authorities are investigating a potential motive while considering the shooting a hate crime.

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria called the shooting a “violent act of hate” and urged the city to unite against Islamophobia, while New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he was horrified by “an apparent act of anti-Muslim violence.”

NBC News quoted CAIR San Diego describing Abdullah as “a hero” who “stood his ground,” and it said Wahl detailed that Abdullah exchanged gunfire with the suspects and alerted the mosque to go into lockdown.

ABC News

At a news conference, Wahl said Abdullah’s actions “delayed, distracted and ultimately deterred these two individuals from gaining access to the greater areas of the mosque,” where as many as 140 kids were within 15 feet of the suspects.

The BBC reported that Cair-SD spokeswoman Tazheen Nizam told the BBC, “It’s fair to say his actions were heroic,” and that Abdullah enacted lockdown procedures and was credited with saving numerous lives, including those of 140 children at the school that is part of the centre.

Authorities said they seized more than 30 guns and a crossbow while searching three residences associated with the suspects, and the BBC reported that the guns were registered to one of the suspect's parents.

“"His actions were heroic and undoubtedly saved lives today”

ABC7 Los Angeles

FBI Special Agent in Charge Mark Remily told the BBC that investigators found “identified writings and various ideologies outlining religious and racial beliefs,” and he said, “These subjects did not discriminate on who they hated.”

The BBC also said it was unclear if the mosque or the school were specific targets, and it reported that investigators recovered a manifesto but did not share further details about the document.

The New York Times reported that Muslim leaders remembered the three men killed as heroes who tried to save the lives of children and community members inside the mosque, and it quoted a statement describing Abdullah as “the definition of a hero who bravely made the ultimate sacrifice to save others over himself.”