A guy who is thought to be the main suspect in the Albuquerque murders of four Muslim men has been detained.
All of the victims, who had just arrived to the country from South Asia, had been shot to death within five miles of one another within the previous nine months.
Mohammad Zahir Ahmadi, 62; Aftab Hussein, 41; Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, 27; and Naeem Hussain, 25, are among the fatalities.
No information on the culprit was immediately available, but Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina tweeted on Tuesday that his department had located the car that was allegedly used in the recent murder of a Muslim man in the city.
The major suspect in the killings is the driver, who was apprehended.
Only two days before to the news, the Albuquerque Police Department published images of a dark grey car they suspected was used to transport the victims after it was noticed by witnesses at one of the crime sites.
A $20,000 reward was offered by the police for any information pointing to a suspect.
More information is anticipated from Albuquerque authorities during a press event later this afternoon.
The most recent homicide occurred on Friday when Naeem Hussein, 25, was shot and killed in the middle of the street.
According to CNN, he fled Shia Muslim persecution in Pakistan and immigrated to the United States as a refugee in 2016.
According to his brother-in-law Ehsan Shahalami, Hussein had only recently become a citizen of the United States and had just started his own trucking company earlier this year.
Hussein has been praised for his kindness, generosity, and hard work.
He had voiced his concerns about the shootings during a burial for two other victims the day before he was slain, according to a representative for one of the neighbourhood mosques.
Following his passing on Saturday, Medina said during a press conference that “there is cause to suspect that this death is linked to those shootings.”
In order to investigate the incident, he claimed to have been in regular touch with the FBI and local Muslim leaders at the time. He also said that police were working extra shifts to monitor Muslim communities and maintain a constant police presence in the region.
The president of the Islamic Center of New Mexico, Ahmad Assed, spoke at the gathering as well to denounce the spate of deaths of Muslim males.
Assed said, “Our community is decimated.” We have never experienced anything like this.
We are concerned about the welfare of our kids and families, but the message of hope is still relevant. We must track down and apprehend the offender or offender(s).
Evil won’t prevail. Hatred cannot prevail. And by banding together, we can combat evil and hatred.
The first homicide was committed on November 7 in the evening.
Mohammad Ahmadi, 62, was discovered outside the Ariana Halal Market & Cafe, a cafe he co-owned with his brother Sharief A. Hadi.
The brothers, who were born in Afghanistan, immigrated to the United States in the early 1980s together with their father.
They first settled in Pennsylvania before relocating to New Mexico when Hadi, who made a career by selling gemstones, discovered and fell in love with the area.
Hadi told ABP News Online, “I had to go all around, and eventually I came to New Mexico.” “I enjoy it, the weather was great, and everyone was very kind.” And because of my business, I decided to remain here.
Ahmadi, who works as a chef and specialises in traditional Afghan cuisine, helped Hadi and his brother launch the market in 2008 and often provided food for events at the local university.
Hadi said that he left Ahmadi at the store to finish cooking and that he believed his brother had gone outside to light a cigarette when he was shot at approximately 6 o’clock in the evening.
He had fallen asleep in the rear when I left at 5 o’clock, Hadi said.
“When I got home, I got a call asking Sharif what was going on in your shop.” The cops were everywhere when I returned.
Hadi expressed his confusion at the unsolved murder in January.
I have nothing to say to you, he said. He is my sibling. He loved me, and I loved him.
Eight months later, Aftab Hussein, a 41-year-old Muslim who had relocated to New Mexico in 2016, was also killed.
Hussein, who worked as a busboy at a nearby café, shared a second-floor apartment with two other people close to the Mesa Verde Community Center and informed them that he had just been engaged to a lady back in Pakistan.
His buddy Iftikhar Amirjan told The Albuquerque Journal that he was trying to get his passport and other travel paperwork together so he could fly to Pakistan and be married.
He was overjoyed. Amirjan stated, “He said, “I’ll travel to Pakistan, get married, and bring my wife here,” and he added, “I’ll create my life,” you know.
He promised, “I’ll purchase a home later and have kids.”
On July 26, in the late hours, Hussein was shot in the complex’s parking lot.
His terrified housemates have now left, and Hussein’s brother has travelled here from the UK.
The third murder occurred on July 26 when 27-year-old Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, a well-known local community activist and city planner, was shot dead in front of his house.
He arrived in the country in 2017 to pursue a master’s degree in community and regional planning at the University of New Mexico.
He was born in Pakistan, and from 2019 to 2020 he presided over the Graduate and Professional Student Association.
After assisting the congressional campaign of Representative Melanie Stansbury, he was hired as the director of planning and land use for the city of Espaola, which is located 90 miles north of Albuquerque.
Hussein had been travelling for the last year, but he would soon be relocating to Espaola.
He had been residing with his elder brother, Muhammad Imtiaz Hussain, a former prosecutor who came to the United States in 2014 to finish his legal studies. He had also brought his two young children.
Afzaal Hussain likely went outside at 9 o’clock to phone friends or family in Pakistan as he was preparing supper, according to Imtiaz Hussain, who spoke to The Albuquerque Journal.
Several shots were fired once, followed by four to six more, according to witnesses who saw a vehicle drive up next to his brother.
Imtiaz Hussain said, “My brother – he was such a good, vivacious young guy, an unmarried person connected with the society, always helping everyone.”
What is the reason, then? As to why they shot him, How will we stay safe if he is shot?
“I want a proactive, thorough investigation, thorough and quick trials so that those who wish to kill another person’s life for nothing can’t do so.
I don’t know, maybe they were stealing his phone, whatever.
But this is life, and he is a part of many lives.
The team was in shock, according to Jordan Yutzy, the city manager of Espaola.
The city will miss him dearly, Yutzy said.
He was very intelligent, devoted, and concerned about the community as a whole. The city will have some pretty large shoes to fill after him.
A valued graduate who was “a renowned student leader and vivacious human being,” according to the University of New Mexico, passed away tragically and suddenly.
According to UNM President Garnett Stokes, “Muhammad was an outstanding leader and a genuinely exceptional Lobo who affected so many people.” It was an honour for me to work and get to know him.
As we mourn the unimaginable loss of Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, law enforcement has revealed fresh evidence suggesting that the gunshot murders of Mohammad Admadi and Aftab Hussein in our neighbourhood may be connected.
In order to safeguard our Muslim, immigrant, and Middle Eastern populations and bring those responsible to justice, we collaborate closely with federal, state, and local partners. Hatred in any form will not be tolerated in our communities.
“Muhammad Afzaal Hussain was a cornerstone in the UNM community and an amazing force for good,” stated Martin Heinrich, a senator from New Mexico.
According to law enforcement authorities, his death may have been connected to two other Muslim males who were killed in Albuquerque. Violence motivated by racism and bigotry has no place in New Mexico.
Albuquerque’s mayor, Tim Keller, said that the city would continue to “stand with our Muslim neighbours.”
Albuquerque will not accept violence against members of our community on the basis of ethnicity or religion, he said in a statement. “While we do not yet have all the solutions,” he added.