Investigators are persevering with to construct an image of the 2 suspects within the lethal Monday taking pictures on the Islamic Middle of San Diego which killed three individuals, and which legislation enforcement officers say might have been pushed by nihilistic and accelerationist extremism.
Three males, one in every of whom was a safety guard, had been killed within the taking pictures on Monday, authorities stated, with investigators saying they’re presently contemplating the incident as a hate crime.
Two suspects, aged 17 and 18, had been discovered lifeless in a car close by, police stated. Authorities are investigating two youngsters, Cain Clark and Caleb Vazquez, because the suspected attackers within the taking pictures, a number of sources informed ABC Information.
Authorities are reviewing a video apparently posted on-line by one of many suspects in Monday’s taking pictures that appeared to seize a livestream of the assault and its aftermath, sources informed ABC Information.
Nicole Witherow prays beside flowers positioned exterior of the Islamic Middle of San Diego, the day after a taking pictures, Tuesday, Might 19, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Picture/Jae C. Hong)
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Sources stated a video posted to an internet gore website allegedly exhibits the suspects approaching the middle after which opening hearth, with an individual believed to be suspect Clark carrying camouflage fatigues and a plate provider.
In a later portion of the video, sources stated the particular person believed to be Clark might be seen reaching into the backseat of the car after which taking pictures Vazquez, earlier than chambering a second spherical and taking his personal life.
The video and objects discovered with the suspects’ our bodies appeared to point associations with extremist ideology, legislation enforcement officers stated.
A Sonnenrad patch, depicting a neo-Nazi image, and what analysts assess is probably going a patch for a militant accelerationist group, are each seen on the plate provider being worn by the particular person believed to be Clark, in keeping with sources. Moreover, writings are seen on a gun, together with drawings of SS bolts and neo-Nazi insignias, sources stated.
Additional symbols related to neo-Nazism and militant accelerationism had been discovered on the scene of the taking pictures, together with a flag with a Sonnenrad on it and a gasoline can with SS bolts drawn on it, in keeping with sources.
Investigators are inspecting a prolonged doc circulating on-line that’s comprised of two hate-filled essays totaling 75 pages allegedly written by the suspected shooters, sources informed ABC Information.
Each essays promote white nationalism and specific a hatred for immigrants, racial minorities and others, in addition to anger towards girls preferring taller males, in keeping with sources. Vazquez allegedly writes he’s an “accelerationist” in his essay, echoing nihilistic rhetoric, sources stated.
It is unclear when the essays had been really written — a piece meant to determine the “targets” is left clean, sources stated.
Social media accounts believed to be tied to Clark replicate attainable associations with nihilistic violent extremist ideology, sources additionally informed ABC Information.
Early final 12 months, police in Chula Vista, California, spoke with Vazquez after somebody who knew him expressed considerations that he was fascinated about extremist ideology and mass-casualty assaults, although the considerations at that time did not meet the brink for making an arrest, sources informed ABC Information.
A spokesperson for the Chula Vista Police Division informed ABC Information on Tuesday that the division “extends its deepest condolences to all these affected by this tragedy” however declined to reply questions in regards to the prior contact.
Undated picture of Cain Clark, a suspect in taking pictures on the Islamic Middle of San Diego on Might 18, 2026.
Madison Warhawks Wrestling/Instagram
The suspects met on-line and found they each lived within the San Diego space, in keeping with Mark Remily, the particular agent accountable for the FBI’s San Diego Area Workplace. They seem to have been radicalized on-line and had a “broad hatred” towards a big selection of races and religions, Remily stated throughout a press briefing Tuesday.
“They did not discriminate on who they hated,” Remily stated.
Investigators have recovered writings that define “spiritual and racial beliefs of how the world they envision ought to look,” Remily stated. Authorities are within the technique of analyzing their writings to study what led to the assault and easy methods to stop future ones, in addition to trying into “how the radicalization occurred,” he stated.
It is too early within the investigation to inform if the mosque was the particular goal, authorities stated.
“We’re nonetheless trying by electronics to present us the solutions, however once more, what I can say is that they undoubtedly had a broad hatred in direction of a variety of people,” Remily stated.
San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl stated legislation enforcement continues to be working to find out the scope of the “risk image,” when requested if the Islamic middle’s faculties had been the meant goal.
Police are investigating how the suspects obtained firearms within the taking pictures, Wahl stated Tuesday. The weapons belonged to the mother and father of one of many suspects, he stated.
Throughout searches of two residences related to the suspects, authorities seized “quite a few pistols, rifles, shotguns, ammunition, tactical gear, in addition to electronics,” Remily stated.
“To this point on this investigation, we have seized over 30 weapons and a crossbow,” he stated.
The taking pictures was reported shortly earlier than midday Monday, police stated.
Undated images of L-R: Mansour Kaziha, Amin Abdullah and Nadir Awad, the victims of the taking pictures on the Islamic Middle of San Diego on Might 18, 2026.
San Diego Police Dept.
A video evaluation exhibits that the suspects received right into a “gun battle” with the safety guard, who was killed exterior the mosque, in keeping with Wahl.
The safety guard had managed to place out a “lockdown protocol,” which together with the sound of gunfire, allowed these in the principle frequent areas of the mosque to enter hiding, he stated. There have been some 140 kids inside on the time, he stated.
The suspects moved room by room as soon as inside, however didn’t run into anybody, the police chief stated. At one level, they’re seen searching a window, with one pointing to the window, earlier than working out a close-by door, at which level they “instantly interact” the 2 different victims exterior within the parking zone, he stated.
Amin Abdullah, the safety guard killed, has been hailed as a hero.
“His actions, unquestionably, delayed, distracted and finally deterred these two people from having access to the larger areas of the mosque the place as many as 140 children had been inside 15 toes of those suspects,” Wahl stated Tuesday.
Attendees react as they hearken to a speech throughout a vigil, the day after a taking pictures, exterior of the Islamic Middle of San Diego, Tuesday, Might 19, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Picture/Jae C. Hong)
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The 2 different victims killed within the taking pictures — recognized by authorities as Mansour Kaziha and Nadir Awad — “drew the eye” of the suspects right into a parking zone “the place they had been sadly unable to flee,” Wahl stated. They had been cornered by the suspects and killed, Wahl stated.
Police are investigating a possible motive however stated the taking pictures is presently being thought-about as a hate crime.
“There was undoubtedly hate rhetoric that was concerned,” Wahl stated throughout a Monday press briefing.
Anti-Islamic writings had been discovered within the car with the 2 teenagers, sources informed ABC Information.
About two hours earlier than the taking pictures on the mosque, San Diego police acquired a name involving the 17-year-old suspect, a couple of runaway juvenile, in keeping with Wahl. The teenager’s mom reported that “a number of of her weapons” and her car had been lacking, he stated. The mom additionally discovered a word, Wahl stated, the contents of which the police chief didn’t share.
A girl lays flowers exterior the Islamic Centre of San Diego, the morning following a taking pictures, in San Diego, Might 19, 2026.
Mike Blake/Reuters
The mom informed police that her son was with one other particular person and that they had been each “wearing camo,” Wahl stated.
Officers had been making an attempt to trace down the car and dispatched police to a mall and to a faculty with which one of many teenagers was related, when the taking pictures on the mosque was reported, he stated.
The Islamic Middle of San Diego says it’s the largest mosque in San Diego County.
“We have now by no means skilled a tragedy like this earlier than,” Taha Hassan, Imam and Director of Islamic Middle of San Diego, stated of the middle at a information convention.
“This can be very outrageous to focus on a spot of worship. Our Islamic middle is a spot of worship. Folks come to the Islamic middle to hope, to have fun, to study, not solely Muslims, however we now have individuals from all walks of life,” Hassan added.
“The spiritual intolerance and the hate, sadly, that exists in our nation is unprecedented,” Hassan stated.
“We strongly condemn this horrifying act of violence,” Tazheen Nizam, the manager director of the San Diego chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, stated in an announcement. “Our ideas are with everybody impacted by this assault. Nobody ought to ever concern for his or her security whereas attending prayers or learning at an elementary faculty.”
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria informed ABC Information that “we instantly have elevated patrols round spiritual websites, each our Muslim, Jewish and different religion communities throughout the town. And I think about we’ll keep that posture for a while.”
