US police launched an investigation into what they described as a "hate crime" following a shooting at a mosque inside an Islamic center in California, in which two teenagers killed three people.
Police had previously reported that emergency crews found the victims inside the sprawling Islamic center in San Diego, before later finding the bodies of the two attackers, aged 18 and 17.
Aerial footage from a helicopter showed law enforcement forces gathered in front of a building inside the Islamic center, next to which lay a body covered in blood.
San Diego Police Chief Scott Wall told reporters, "We are currently investigating this as a hate crime," adding, "There was definitely hate speech involved."
According to its website, the Islamic Center houses the largest mosque in San Diego County, located in Southern California.
Wal said: “We received a report of an active gunman at the Islamic center. Within four minutes, officers arrived at the scene and immediately found three bodies in front of the center.”
He added: “We immediately began deploying in response to an active shooter at a mosque and a nearby school,” noting that police had received calls about other shootings nearby, where a landscaping worker was shot at but unharmed.
Targeting a place of worship
Outside the Islamic center, police found a car with the two gunmen dead inside.
Wall said: “It appears at this stage that the two suspects died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds, and no police officers intervened by firing their weapons.”
NBC News quoted three security officials as saying that the shooters were Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18.
Police reported that one of the security guards at the Islamic center was among the three killed, while the identities of the other two victims were not immediately clear.
Wall noted that what the security guard did was “heroic, and there is no doubt that he saved lives today.”
The identities of the victims were not immediately clear.
The police chief revealed that the mother of one of the suspects contacted the police two hours before the attack and reported that her son was “suicide-minded” and that several weapons and her car were missing.
CNN quoted unnamed security officials as saying that one of the shooters left a suicide note containing writings about racial pride, and that hate speech was written on one of the weapons.
Initially, police deployed forces in an area around a high school the suspect frequented, until they received a report of an active shooter at the Islamic Center.
The director of the Islamic Center, Imam Taha Hassan, confirmed in a message the safety of “all children, staff members and teachers,” noting their departure from the building.
He said: “We have never witnessed a tragedy like this before. At this moment, all I can say is that we are praying and standing in solidarity with all the families in our community here.”
He added: “It is extremely shameful to target a place of worship.”
Speaking to reporters, President Donald Trump described the shooting as a “horrible situation,” adding: “I have been briefed on some early updates, but we will be going back and looking into it very thoroughly again.”
Wall said that given the location of the attack, investigators "are treating it as a hate crime until proven otherwise."
California Governor Gavin Newsom expressed his shock at the attack, saying, "Worshippers anywhere should not have to fear for their lives."
He wrote on the X platform, “Hate has no place in California, and we will not tolerate acts of terrorism or intimidation against religious communities,” adding, “To the Muslim community of San Diego: California stands with you.”
Wall said that investigators "are treating it as a hate crime until proven otherwise," given the location of the attack.
For his part, Governor Gavin Newsom expressed his shock at the attack, saying, "Worshippers anywhere should not have to fear for their lives."
He added in a post on the X platform, “There is no place for hate in California, and we will not tolerate acts of terrorism or intimidation against religious communities,” adding: “To the Muslim community in San Diego: California stands with you.”
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