Gunmen in deadly San Diego Islamic Center shooting believed to have met online

Key Points:

• Two shooters, Caleb Liam Vazquez (18) and Cain Lee Clark (17), carried out a deadly attack at a San Diego-area Islamic Center on May 18, killing three people before killing themselves; they had met online and shared radicalized ideologies.
• The shooters engaged in gunfire with security guard Amin Abdullah, who delayed their access and initiated lockdown protocols before being killed; they then killed two more men in the parking lot before fleeing and ultimately dying by self-inflicted gunshots.
• A 75-page manifesto linked to the shooters contains a mix of anti-Muslim, misogynistic, anti-Hispanic, anti-gay, anti-trans, and antisemitic hate rhetoric, including calls for accelerationism, a violent white supremacist ideology aimed at societal collapse.
• The shooters allegedly livestreamed the attack and referenced the 2019 Christchurch mosque shooting; their weapons bore racist symbols and inscriptions, and investigators have seized over 30 guns and a crossbow during searches of associated residences.
• The FBI and San Diego Police are investigating the attack as a hate crime, conducting interviews and searching electronic devices, while urging the public to provide tips; vigils for the victims are being held in the community.