Police officials in Albuquerque, New Mexico, have officially arrested one Muslim from Afghanistan in connection with two of the group of Muslim men who have been murdered in the area over the past new months.
Police were able to take into custody one 51-year-old Muhammad Syed, claiming that he would be slammed with charges in relation to the murder of two of the men and waslabeled as a suspect in the murders of the other two men. The first Muslim man was killed back in November of 2021 and the remaining three were all murdered over the past two weeks.
It has been reported by The New York Times that Syed, who is a Sunni Muslim, may have targeted the victims due to the fact that they were Shiite Muslims and he was known to be angry over the fact that his daughter married a Shiite Muslim.
A statement on the ordeal has been issued by President Joe Biden this week, just before the arrests were officially made, that seemed to suggest that these particular murders were hate crimes.
“I am angered and saddened by the horrific killings of four Muslim men in Albuquerque,” exclaimed Biden in his release. “While we await a full investigation, my prayers are with the victims’ families, and my Administration stands strongly with the Muslim community.”
“These hateful attacks have no place in America,” continued Biden.
As an immigrant hailing from Afghanistan that previously faced charges of domestic violence, Syed was arrested by police officials as part of a routine traffic stop well over 100 miles away from the Albuquerque area. After searching, multiple guns were found in both his vehicle and his personal residence.
A report from the Associated Press stated that the victims that were killed were Naeem Hussain, 25, from Pakistan; Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, 27, from Pakistan; Aftab Hussein, 41, from Pakistan; and Mohammad Ahmadi, 62, from Afghanistan.
“As detectives prepared to search Syed’s home in Southeast Albuquerque on Monday, Syed drove from the residence in the Volkswagon [sic] Jetta that detectives believe was used in at least one of the murders,” explained officials from the police department in their statement. “Detectives detained Syed and searched his home and the vehicle. They discovered additional evidence that further tied Syed to the murders.”
“Syed is being charged with two of the homicides – the July 26, 2022 murder of Aftab Hussein, and the Aug. 1, 2022 murder of Muhammad Afzaal Hussain. Detectives connected those homicides using bullet casings found at the scenes. The gun used in those shootings was discovered during the overnight search of his home,” concluded the statement. “APD Chief Harold Medina said detectives will continue to work with the District Attorney’s Office on potential charges for the other two homicides – the Aug. 5, 2022, murder of Naeem Hussain, and the Nov. 7, 2021 murder of Mohammad Zaher Ahmadi.”