Authorities are investigating the possibility that a serial killer may have been hunting Muslims in Albuquerque, New Mexico, after four men of faith were killed there last year.
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said Saturday that she was deploying additional state police to help with the “targeted killings” investigation.
“The targeted killings of Muslim residents of Albuquerque are deeply irritating and totally intolerable,” he wrote on Twitter.
“We will not stop in our pursuit of justice for the victims and their families and are using every resource to apprehend the killer or killers, and we will find them,” the Democrat said in a statement.
She added, “I’m angry and sad that this is happening in New Mexico, a place that prides itself on diversity of culture and thought. This is not who we are.”
The statement did not provide details on whether investigators have any leads or confirm whether the killings are related.
An unnamed Muslim man was killed on Friday night following the shooting of Muhammad Afzaal Hussain on Monday, police said.
Hussain’s killing comes after Aftab Hussein was killed on July 26 and Mohammad Ahmadi in November 2021.
Hussain and Hussein were Pakistani and went to the same mosque, according to the New York Times. The murders have sparked an outcry in Albuquerque’s Muslim community. Less than one percent of New Mexico’s two million people are Muslim, according to the Pew Research Center.
Ahmad Assed, president of the Islamic Center of New Mexico, condemned the spate of killings against Muslims in the Albuquerque community. Chancey Bush/The Albuquerque Journal via AP. Albuquerque, New Mexico on August 5, 2022. Chancey Bush/The Albuquerque Journal via AP
“We are incredibly sickened by the idea that someone would have so much hatred against innocent people,” said Ahmad Assed, leader of the Islamic Center of New Mexico, according to the Times. “We are afraid for our families, we are afraid for our children. And we’re incredibly confused about why this is happening.”
President Biden expressed his solidarity with the local Muslim community on Sunday.
“While we await a full investigation, my prayers are with the families of the victims and my administration stands firmly with the Muslim community,” Biden said in a post on Twitter. “These hateful attacks don’t happen in America.”
Muhammad Afzaal Hussain was shot and killed near his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Chancey Bush/The Albuquerque Journal via AP Altaf Hussain, brother of Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, cries over his grave during his burial at Fairview Memorial Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico on August 5, 2022. Chancey Bush/The Albuquerque Journal via AP
With post cables