Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, 27, and Aftab Hussein, 41, two Pakistani men who attended the same mosque, were fatally shot within a week of each other, police said. Mr. Hussain, who was killed Monday, was the director of planning and land use for the city of Española, about 90 miles north of Albuquerque. Mr Hussain, who was killed on July 26, worked in a local cafe.
A third Muslim was killed shortly before midnight on Friday, police said. The identity and age of the latest victim have not been released, although police said he was a “young man” and from South Asia. Authorities said they believed the recent violence may also be linked to the November 2021 killing of Mohammad Ahmadi, 62, in Albuquerque, a Muslim from Afghanistan. Mr. Ahmadi was killed outside a business he and his brother ran on San Mateo Avenue, the police said. Authorities did not say why they believed the killings might be connected and did not say if there were any witnesses to the killings, but said they believe the Muslim community was targeted. The Albuquerque Police Department, along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office, are asking residents of the city to come forward with any information that may be related to the murders. “This is something that affects all of us,” Raúl Torrez, the Bernalillo County District Attorney, said at a press conference Saturday. “Every member of this community needs to stand up.” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said on Twitter Saturday that the killings were “deeply infuriating and completely intolerable” and that she was sending more state police to assist Albuquerque police and the FBI. She also expressed her solidarity with the Muslim community of the state. “We are with you,” he said.
Officials at the Islamic Center of New Mexico, still reeling from Friday night’s funeral for Mr. Hussain and Mr. Hussain, said they were shocked to learn of another death the next morning and that the killings are frightening Muslims in the city. . their safety. “We are incredibly sickened by the idea that someone has such hatred against innocent people,” said Ahmad Assed, president of the Islamic Center of New Mexico. “We fear for our families, we fear for our children. And we’re incredibly confused as to why this is happening.” The Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights nonprofit, said Friday it would offer a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the attacks. murders. “We’ve really never seen anything like this, where there are so many similar murders that really seem linked,” said Ibrahim Hooper, the council’s national communications director. Nihad Awad, the council’s national executive director, said in an interview that the tragedies affected not only the Muslim community but all Americans. “We must be united against hatred and violence regardless of the race, creed or background of the victims or perpetrators,” he said. “We urge anyone with information about these crimes to come forward by contacting law enforcement.”