One of the deadliest acts of anti-Muslim violence in modern San Diego history unfolded Monday morning at the Islamic Center of San Diego in Clairemont, where two heavily armed teenage gunmen opened fire at the region’s largest mosque complex, killing three beloved community members before taking their own lives following a massive countywide manhunt and tactical law enforcement response.
Authorities now say the attack is being investigated as a hate crime and that the teenage suspects were allegedly radicalized online before carrying out the assault during one of the holiest periods of the Islamic calendar.
The victims have been identified as Amin Abdullah, a longtime security guard at the Islamic Center, along with community members Mansour Kaziha and Nader Awad. Community leaders and investigators now say the actions of all three men likely prevented a far larger massacre that could have involved dozens of children attending school on the mosque campus.
The attack began at approximately 11:43am Monday at the Islamic Center of San Diego, located at 7050 Eckstrom Avenue in Clairemont. The sprawling religious and educational campus serves thousands of Muslim families throughout San Diego County and includes prayer facilities, community gathering areas and Bright Horizon Academy, a private Islamic school serving students from preschool through high school.
According to San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl, officers arrived within approximately four minutes of the first 911 call and immediately encountered multiple victims outside the mosque while rapidly deploying into both the Islamic Center and adjacent school campus using active shooter protocols amid fears additional gunmen could still be inside.
Authorities later confirmed the three victims died at the scene.
Authorities now say the attack is being investigated as a hate crime and that the teenage suspects were allegedly radicalized online before carrying out the assault during one of the holiest periods of the Islamic calendar.
The victims have been identified as Amin Abdullah, a longtime security guard at the Islamic Center, along with community members Mansour Kaziha and Nader Awad. Community leaders and investigators now say the actions of all three men likely prevented a far larger massacre that could have involved dozens of children attending school on the mosque campus.
The attack began at approximately 11:43am Monday at the Islamic Center of San Diego, located at 7050 Eckstrom Avenue in Clairemont. The sprawling religious and educational campus serves thousands of Muslim families throughout San Diego County and includes prayer facilities, community gathering areas and Bright Horizon Academy, a private Islamic school serving students from preschool through high school.
According to San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl, officers arrived within approximately four minutes of the first 911 call and immediately encountered multiple victims outside the mosque while rapidly deploying into both the Islamic Center and adjacent school campus using active shooter protocols amid fears additional gunmen could still be inside.
Authorities later confirmed the three victims died at the scene.
“His actions, without a doubt, delayed, distracted and ultimately deterred these individuals from gaining access to the greater areas of the mosque where as many as 140 kids were within 15 feet,” Wahl stated during Tuesday’s briefing.
Authorities say Abdullah’s intervention likely saved numerous lives by buying critical seconds for teachers, staff and worshippers to secure classrooms and interior portions of the mosque campus.
Community members described Abdullah Tuesday as a deeply beloved figure whose warmth and kindness had become part of daily life around the Islamic Center. Imam Taha Hassane said Abdullah “never stops smiling,” while neighbors recalled him routinely greeting passersby with encouragement, blessings and conversation.
After fatally shooting Abdullah, authorities say the suspects entered the mosque lobby and began moving room-to-room searching for additional victims. Surveillance video later showed the pair looking through a window before exiting back into the parking lot, where they encountered Mansour Kaziha and Nader Awad.
SDPD is on scene at the Islamic Center of San Diego in the 7000 block of Eckstrom Ave for a reported active shooter.
— San Diego Police Department (@SanDiegoPD) May 18, 2026
Please avoid the area. Updates to follow. #SDPDPIO
According to mosque leadership, Kaziha - affectionately known within the community as “Abu Ezz” - had been part of the Islamic Center since the 1980s and helped physically build portions of the mosque campus itself. Imam Hassane described him as the community’s caretaker, handyman, cook and problem-solver for nearly four decades.
“When the community started breaking the ground to build the community center, he was there,” Hassane said Tuesday. “He was everything.”
Awad was described as another constant and familiar presence at the mosque. According to community leaders, he lived directly across the street from the Islamic Center, attended daily prayers there and was married to a teacher at the Islamic school.
The San Diego chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations stated Tuesday that both men also acted heroically during the attack.
“These three protected children inside the center and school and there is no doubt that the casualties would have been much worse without their heroism,” CAIR San Diego stated.
Minutes later, officers located the suspects’ white BMW X1 stopped near the 3800 block of Hatton Street, where both suspects were found dead from what investigators believe were self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
Authorities have confirmed the suspects were 17 and 18 years old. While San Diego Police initially declined to publicly identify them, the names Cain Clark and Caleb Vasquez have since circulated widely in national and international reporting surrounding the attack.
During Tuesday’s press conference, FBI Special Agent in Charge Mark Remily stated investigators believe the pair became radicalized online and met each other virtually before eventually realizing they both lived in the San Diego region.
Authorities say investigators recovered a manifesto outlining extremist ideological beliefs and racial hatred. According to the FBI, the writings targeted numerous groups and did not focus solely on Muslims.
“They didn’t discriminate on who they hated,” Remily stated. “It covered a wide aspect of races and religions.”
Investigators also confirmed they recovered more than 30 firearms and a crossbow while executing search warrants tied to the suspects. Authorities stated the weapons belonged to the parents of one of the teenagers.
Additional evidence emerging from the crime scene has intensified concerns surrounding possible neo-Nazi and white supremacist ideological influences. Images from the scene appeared to show Nazi SS symbolism displayed on a red gasoline container near the suspects’ vehicle. Authorities also confirmed they are investigating reports that portions of the attack may have been livestreamed online.
Separately, troubling new details have emerged regarding the timeline leading up to the shooting itself.
According to Chief Wahl, the mother of one of the suspects contacted police at approximately 9:42 a.m. Monday to report her 17-year-old son missing, suicidal and potentially armed with weapons allegedly taken from the family gun safe. Authorities later revealed the teen had reportedly left behind a note reading: “I’m too far gone and this is going to happen anyways.”
At approximately 11:04 a.m., San Diego Police issued a countywide “be on the lookout” alert over the regional Blue 1 law enforcement channel describing the suspects’ white BMW X1 and warning officers about a possible terroristic threat.
Chief Wahl later stated that investigators received a license plate reader detection placing the vehicle in the Fashion Valley area prior to the first 911 calls from the mosque at approximately 11:43 a.m.
The revelations have already sparked scrutiny surrounding San Diego’s expanding automated license plate reader infrastructure, which city leaders and SDPD have heavily promoted in recent years as a critical public safety tool. Questions are now emerging regarding whether the suspects’ vehicle was being actively monitored in real time, whether additional camera detections occurred, and whether authorities could have intercepted the pair before the attack unfolded.
Monday’s shooting also carried profound symbolic significance for the Muslim community because it occurred on the first day of Dhul Hijjah, among the holiest periods in Islam and the sacred month leading to Eid al-Adha and the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.
Imam Hassane stated Tuesday that despite years of increasing security measures, including armed guards, fencing, surveillance cameras and federal security grants, the Islamic Center still found itself vulnerable to deadly violence.
“We have never expected this,” Hassane said.
The Islamic Center of San Diego, founded in the 1970s, has long served as one of Southern California’s largest Muslim religious institutions and a major civic presence within San Diego County. In addition to daily prayers and religious services, the center hosts educational programming, charitable outreach, interfaith initiatives and community events throughout the year.
The attack prompted an enormous regional law enforcement response involving San Diego Police, SWAT teams, federal agencies, fire crews and emergency medical personnel. Authorities temporarily ordered nearby residents to shelter in place while officers secured the campus and surrounding neighborhoods. Several nearby schools also initiated precautionary lockdowns.
Police later established a reunification center for families at 4125 Hathaway Street while officers cleared classrooms and escorted children from the school campus.
All students, teachers and staff associated with the Islamic school were ultimately evacuated safely and accounted for.
Mayor Todd Gloria, Governor Gavin Newsom, CAIR San Diego and numerous elected officials condemned the attack Monday and Tuesday. Gloria stated that “Islamophobia has no home in San Diego,” while Newsom described the shooting as an act of terror targeting a religious community.
Law enforcement officials have since announced increased patrols at mosques, synagogues, churches and other houses of worship throughout San Diego County following the attack.
An interfaith candlelight vigil for the victims is scheduled for Tuesday evening at Lindbergh Park adjacent to the Islamic Center campus.
For many within San Diego’s Muslim community, however, the trauma now extends far beyond a single day of violence. Community leaders stated Tuesday that the mosque had received hateful messages and threats for years prior to the attack, though none escalated to this level of deadly violence until now.
“This was not the first threat against the mosque and school,” CAIR officials stated Tuesday. “Yesterday those threats turned deadly.”
This is a developing story and will be updated as additional information becomes available.
Originally published on May 18, 2026.
Originally published on May 18, 2026.
