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Shooting at San Diego Islamic center kills three
Two gunmen opened fire at the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday, killing three people in what authorities are investigating as a white-supremacist hate crime. The attack targeted a mosque and adjacent primary school, sending shockwaves through the local Muslim community.
Chaos and lockdown at the school
Nawal Al-Nouri received a WhatsApp alert about an active shooter at her seven-year-old daughter's school shortly before noon. She told the BBC she initially struggled to process the message, frozen in disbelief at home. Her husband, Omar Al-Nouri, a vascular surgeon in nearby La Jolla, rushed to the scene and described the overwhelming police presence as both alarming and reassuring.
Omar recounted the harrowing moment he arrived, haunted by visions of the gunmen entering classrooms. "I just had a vision in my mind of the shooters going into the school and encountering my child or another child," he said. "I just can't get that vision out of my head."
Victims and community response
The three victims-security guard Amin Abdullah, a teacher's husband, and a local shopkeeper who called 911-were fatally shot before one suspect turned the gun on his accomplice and then himself as police closed in on their vehicle in the Clairemont neighborhood. Authorities credited emergency protocols and staff training with saving the lives of 140 children and staff on campus.
Thousands gathered for a public funeral prayer on Thursday, traveling from across California and beyond to stand in solidarity with the Muslim community. Ali Alshahin, whose children attend the school, called the victims "the reason my kids are alive today." His children referred to Abdullah, the security guard, as "Uncle Policeman."
Motives and investigations
Officials revealed the suspects, aged 17 and 18, were motivated by "broad hatred" and had been radicalized online. Investigators found writings containing Islamophobic, anti-Semitic, and misogynistic content. The FBI recovered 30 firearms and a crossbow from three residences linked to the teens. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria confirmed the attack is being treated as a white-supremacist hate crime.
Tazheen Nizam of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) expressed disbelief at the scale of the violence. "Nobody expected something of this gravity to take place," she said, noting the center had only one security guard and an open gate at the time of the attack.
Community resilience and calls for unity
Dr. Muhammad Rahman, a resident with two children at the school, was at home when he learned of the shooting. His children were on the playground during the attack. "The parents are grieving. We are all devastated," he said at the funeral prayers. "God's mercy saved all these kids."
"We are strong. We are resilient. We will move forward. That is our strength as a community. It will make us stronger as a community."
Dr. Muhammad Rahman
Imam Taha Hassane, the center's director, said the mosque had received hate mail and witnessed passing hostility but never anticipated such violence. "I never, ever expected an active shooter coming to our house of worship," he told the BBC. Meanwhile, Abdullah Tahiri, president of the Muslim Leadership Council of San Diego, blamed the attack on a political climate that has "tolerated, normalized, and weaponized" anti-Muslim sentiment.
Aftermath and healing
The Islamic Center of San Diego, a pillar of the local Muslim community, reopened for daily prayers two days after the shooting. The school, however, ended its semester early, and other parts of the complex remain closed. A makeshift memorial now stands outside the center's gates, while police continue to patrol the area.
Nawal Al-Nouri recounted reuniting with her daughter, Maya, five hours after the shooting. Maya described how police broke down the classroom door during lockdown and led the children to safety. "The teacher said the kids listened and did great," Nawal said. "That kind of broke my heart, thinking of how scared the teachers were."
Omar added, "My biggest fear is that she'll be afraid to go back to school or the mosque." Despite the trauma, the community vowed to stand united. "Hate speech leads to hate crimes," said Imam Dr. Saad Eldegewi. "We are here to fight all that in all legal and peaceful ways."
