Albuquerque police say a suspect has been detained in connection to the murders of 4 Muslim men in the city
Provided by Muhammad Imtiaz Hussain
- A suspect has been detained in connection to the killings of four Muslim men in Albuquerque.
- Police will release more details on the suspect at a press conference later this afternoon.
- Naeem Hussain, Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, and Aftab Hussain were killed in the past two weeks. Mohammad Ahmadi was shot in November.
Albuquerque police say a primary suspect is in custody in connection to the fatal shootings of four Muslim men in the city.
Naeem Hussain, Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, and Aftab Hussain were killed in ambush shootings in the last two weeks. They were all from Pakistan. Police believe that a fourth killing — of Afghanistan-born Mohammad Ahmadi back in November — was also connected.
APD Chief Harold Medina tweeted just before 1 p.m. Tuesday that his officers tracked down a vehicle they believed to be connected to the killings, and the driver of the vehicle was detained.
Medina said the driver "is our primary suspect for the murders" and that more details would be released at a press conference later in the afternoon.
Provided by Muhammad Imtiaz Hussain
Living in fear
The recent spate of killings has sparked fear among Muslim's living in the city, a victim's brother and a mosque official told Insider Monday.
Muhammad Imtiaz Hussain, whose 27-year-old brother Afzaal Hussain was killed on August 1, told Insider that they had come to America from Pakistan looking for better futures for their family and loved the community they found in Albuquerque.
They felt safe walking alone at night or early in the morning, and had never been victims of hate violence before.
In the wake of Afzaal Hussain's killing, though, his brother feels unsafe and has been moving his children between friends' homes trying to keep them safe, he told Insider.
The 27-year-old, who worked as a city planner for a city an hour north, walked out of his apartment and was shot in the head, his brother said.
"The way he was killed was so brutal," he said. "We couldn't put his head together."
Now Imtiaz Hussain is in the process of trying to relocate.
"I'm afraid for my safety and for my kids. My dad is very worried and calling us to 'please come back,'" he said Monday.
Aneela Abad, general secretary of the Islamic Center of New Mexico, told Insider that it's especially unsettling how the three recent killings are being connected to Ahmadi's shooting nearly a year ago.
"We're shocked that somebody who lives here locally, they can lie low and just reappear all of a sudden and there's three shootings in a row," Abad said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.