Two teenage gunmen opened fire at the Islamic Centre of San Diego in California on Monday, killing a security guard and two other men outside the mosque before later being found dead from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds, according to police.
San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said local authorities and the FBI are investigating the incident as a hate crime. However, officials have not yet identified a specific motive behind the attack.
All children attending the mosque’s day school were reported safe and accounted for after the shooting, which began around 11:40am local time.
During an evening press briefing, Wahl revealed that the mother of one of the suspects had contacted police roughly two hours before the attack. She reportedly told authorities her son, whom she described as suicidal, had left home with three firearms and her vehicle.
Suspects reportedly dressed in camouflage
According to police, the teenager was accompanied by another youth, and both were wearing camouflage clothing. Officers began searching for them and increased patrols around a nearby shopping centre and the suspect’s high school before reports of the mosque shooting emerged.
Wahl declined to discuss the contents of a note allegedly discovered by the suspect’s mother.
He added that authorities had not received any “specific threat” directed at the mosque, school, shopping centre or any religious institution before the shooting occurred.
Instead, he said investigators were dealing with what he described as “generalised hate rhetoric and hate speech,” which, combined with reports of armed teenagers dressed in camouflage, prompted a broader security assessment.
The attack came just days before Eidul Azha and the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
“We have never experienced a tragedy like this before,” said Taha Hassane, imam and director of the Islamic Centre. “It is extremely outrageous to target a place of worship.”
Law enforcement officers arriving at the scene found the bodies of three men connected to the mosque who had been fatally shot. Authorities said the slain security guard likely helped prevent additional casualties.
Soon after, officers located two teenage suspects, aged 17 and 18, dead inside a vehicle parked on a nearby street. Police believe both died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds. Earlier reports had incorrectly identified the older suspect as 19.
Investigation ongoing
Wahl said between 50 and 100 officers from departments across the San Diego area responded within minutes to reports of an active shooter at the mosque, located in the Clairemont district.
Television footage showed heavily armed police officers surrounding the area, including tactical personnel positioned on the mosque roof and officers searching the complex.
Police confirmed that no officers fired their weapons during the incident.
Authorities also linked the attack to a separate shooting involving a landscaper a few blocks away around the same time. The landscaper survived unharmed, with police suggesting his helmet may have deflected a bullet.
Several hours after the shooting, investigators said they were still trying to determine what triggered the violence and reconstruct the sequence of events.
The Islamic Centre of San Diego is the largest mosque in the county and also houses Bright Horizon Academy.
While mass shootings remain common across the United States, Muslim and Jewish communities have reportedly faced heightened fears since conflict escalated between Israel and Iran earlier this year.
In March, a Lebanese-born American man died by suicide after crashing a truck into a major synagogue in Michigan, firing at security personnel and causing an explosion using fireworks. The synagogue, like the San Diego mosque, also operated a day school.
Widespread condemnation
California Governor Gavin Newsom condemned the attack, stating: “Hate has no place in California.”
In a statement shared on X, Newsom and his partner said, “Worshippers should not have to fear for their lives. We will not tolerate acts of terror or intimidation against communities of faith.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) described the shooting as “horrifying” and confirmed that children, including students attending classes, were inside the Islamic centre during the attack.
In its own statement, the Islamic Centre said it was “heartbroken” by the tragedy and was cooperating with the San Diego Police Department, the FBI and emergency services.
The mosque said the incident had left worshippers, students and staff enduring “an extremely painful and traumatic day”.
It added that “places of worship are meant to be spaces of peace, prayer, reflection, and community,” stressing that “violence and hatred have no place in our society”.
New York Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani said he was “horrified” by the attack.
“Islamophobia endangers Muslim communities across this country. We must confront it directly and stand together against the politics of fear and division,” he said.
He added that the NYPD would increase patrols around mosques across New York City as a precaution, while noting there were currently no known threats to places of worship in the city.
US Senator Lindsey Graham said he was heartbroken over the “senseless shooting”.
“As Americans, we must stand firmly together, rejecting the senseless killing of people of faith. We truly live in dangerous and sick times,” he said.
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill also condemned the violence, saying no one should feel unsafe in a place of worship.
She added that New Jersey authorities would increase police visibility around religious sites and continue coordination with law enforcement and faith leaders to help protect communities.
