San Diego mosque shooters met online and left writings expressing hate, FBI says
Key Points:
- Two teenagers, aged 17 and 18, killed three people at the Islamic Center of San Diego before killing themselves; they met online and shared broad hatred toward different religions and races, according to FBI and police statements.
- Authorities recovered 30 firearms and a crossbow from the suspects' residences and are investigating whether the shooters had wider plans; the attack occurred shortly after police began searching for one teen reported missing and suicidal.
- One victim was a mosque security guard credited with preventing the attack from spreading beyond the mosque's front section; the mosque described the victims as courageous men dedicated to the community.
- The suspects exhibited generalized hate rhetoric but no specific threat had been directed at the mosque; the attack comes amid rising hate crimes targeting Muslim and Jewish communities in the U.S.
- The mosque houses a school and is located in a neighborhood with Middle Eastern businesses; children were safely evacuated during the police response, and authorities continue to piece together the motives behind the shooting.