- A hitherto unknown Muslim man was killed Friday in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
- Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, 27, and Aftab Hussein, 41, were shot dead in the past two weeks.
- The state governor has called them “targeted murders” and the FBI is assisting the investigation.
A man has been shot dead in Albuquerque and could be the latest victim of the suspected serial murder of Muslims in New Mexico’s largest city.
Albuquerque Police announced that a young, unidentified Muslim man had been shot and killed Friday night.
Police did not give any other details of the man or disclose the circumstances of the murder, but said he was found dead at the scene and appeared to be in his mid-20s.
He was the fourth Muslim man to be killed in a spate of unsolved murders.
New Mexico police and federal agencies are investigating whether the murders are related, with Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham describing them as: “targeted killings.”
—Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (@GovMLG) August 6, 2022
Reuters reports: that in the other recent murders of Muslim men in New Mexico’s largest city, the victims were ambushed and shot without warning, police said.
Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, 27, a Pakistani immigrant and planning director for the city of Espanola, was shot dead outside his apartment complex in Albuquerque in early August.
Aftab Hussein, 41, was found dead from gunshot wounds near the Albuquerque International District on July 26. He went to the same mosque as Hussain.
—APD Chief Constable (@ABQPoliceChief) August 6, 2022
The shooting of 62-year-old Afghan migrant Mohammad Ahmadi on Nov. 7, 2021, in the parking lot of a halal supermarket he ran is the fourth murder detectives are trying to determine whether it is related to the more recent killings, Albuquerque said. . .
The FBI assists in the murder investigation.
Governor Grisham further said: Twitter that the murders were “deeply angry and utterly unbearable”.
She added: We will continue to do everything we can to support the Muslim community of Albuquerque and greater New Mexico during this difficult time. You are new Mexicans, you are welcome here and we are behind you.”
The Albuquerque Police Chief has announced that there will be a $20,000 reward for any tip that helps solve the murders.