The deadly attack at the Islamic Center of San Diego unfolded on Monday when two teenage gunmen fired on the mosque property, killing three men and then themselves, authorities said. Investigators later focused on what led the suspects to choose the mosque and what, if anything, could have helped prevent the violence from reaching more people. Police and federal officials also described the incident as part of a broader pattern of threats and hate crimes targeting Muslim communities.
FBI agent Mark Remily said Tuesday that the suspects met online and discovered they both lived in the San Diego area, adding that authorities did not yet know how they became radicalized. Investigators also said they obtained writings from both suspects that included hateful rhetoric toward Jewish people, Muslims and Islam, and other targeted groups, including the LGBTQ+ community, Black people, women, and political groups on both the left and the right. Remily said in his remarks that the teens “didn’t discriminate on who they hated.”
Authorities identified the attackers as Caleb Liam Vazquez, 18, and Cain Lee Clark, 17. Police were still searching for Vazquez when the shooting began, after his mother called around 9:40 a.m. Monday and told police her son was suicidal and had run away, San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said. Wahl said police learned the teen was dressed in camouflage, had taken multiple weapons from the home, and was with an acquaintance—details that he said were not consistent with someone preparing to die by suicide.
During the attack, Wahl said the shooters entered the Islamic center’s lobby and wounded Amin Abdullah, 51, who served as the mosque’s security guard. The police chief said Abdullah used his radio to initiate a lockdown protocol and kept firing at the attackers, pushing them back outside. Wahl said the attackers later returned inside and began searching through rooms emptied during the lockdown.
Wahl said that as the shooters searched, two other people they killed drew the gunmen farther away from the building. Mosque leaders identified the other victims as Mansour Kaziha, 78, known at the center as Abu Ezz, and Nadir Awad, 57. Imam Taha Hassane said Kaziha “was everything” to the Islamic Center, describing him as the handyman, cook and caretaker, and Awad’s wife, Hassane said, is a teacher at the school, with Awad living across the street from the mosque.
The attack’s potential to cause wider harm was a focus for investigators and community leaders. Wahl said Abdullah’s actions helped keep the attackers away from 140 children who were nearby, just steps from where the gunmen entered and fought during the initial moments. Muslim leaders described community reactions that included calls for increased security at houses of worship.
Kaiser Aslam, a Muslim chaplain at the Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University, described reactions in his community as “heavy,” saying that in conversations in his community “there’s an effort to make sure that everyone recognizes we need increased security.” The attack also drew condemnation from international and U.S. officials, including the United Nations. A spokesman said the U.N. chief, Antonio Guterres, “stands in solidarity with the Muslim community and calls for a full investigation into the attack.”
Investigators said they were also working through the aftermath. Remily and local officials said Tuesday they recovered more than 30 firearms and ammunition as they searched homes associated with the teens. The broader investigation is examining potential motive and the role of online communities and extremist writings, while officials work to piece together how the suspects’ beliefs translated into violence.
In the days following the attack, the shooting was described as the latest in a series of attacks on houses of worship. Officials and advocates tied the incident to wider concerns about rising threats and hate crimes targeting Muslim and Jewish communities amid the war in the Middle East, including calls for stronger protective measures and more attention to security planning.