President Joe Biden said on Sunday that his administration “stands strongly with the Muslim community” after the murder of four Muslim men in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the past nine months in suspected targeted attacks.
Biden, in a statement posted on Twitter on Sunday, said he is “angry and saddened by the horrific murders.” He added that “there is no place in America for these hateful attacks.”
“While we await a full investigation, I pray with the families of the victims, and my government stands firmly behind the Muslim community,” he said.
The president’s comment comes two days after a fourth Muslim man was found dead. Both federal and local authorities have said they are still investigating whether the latest death is related to the three others, while the state governor described all four men as “directed”.
In the first three murders, which took place on August 1, July 26 and November 7 respectively, the victims were fatally shot in an ambush-style attack, authorities said.
Details about the death of the fourth man have not yet been released on Sunday afternoon. He has only been described as being in his mid-twenties, Muslim and from South Asia.
A $20,000 reward has been offered for information about the shooting by the Albuquerque Metro Crime Stoppers.