IMuhammad Imtiaz Hussein understands why someone targeted him for hours and days after learning his brother was shot dead. I began to suffer from He thought it might have something to do with his work in politics, but that seemed unlikely. It wasn't until he heard that two other Muslim men with the same last name had been shot just a few days apart that the terrifying possibilities began. Appear.
"Then I thought something was going on with Muslims," he told The Independent on Monday.
In the Albuquerque area he said four Muslim men were killed in an ambush, three of which he had occurred in the past nine days, not only in the city's close-knit Muslim community, It sent a shock wave beyond it. Residents of the city live under a shadow of fear, with some afraid to go out to buy groceries. We are investigating the possibilities. But New MexicoGovernor Michelle Lujan Grisham has already condemned what she described as "targeted killings of Muslim residents."
Hussein, who is reserving final judgment until police confirm a motive, said last week everything changed for him and his community.
" No one went to work, no one went out to buy groceries, people canceled meetings, you can't sit on the balcony, you can't go out of your apartment, this is me It's very painful for us," he said.
Police have begun linking multiple killings in recent days. On July 26, 41-year-old Aftab Hussein was found with a gunshot wound in the southeastern part of the city. A few days later, Mr. Hussein's younger brother, his 27-year-old Muhammad Afzar, his Mr. Hussein, was shot dead in the same area of the city.
On Thursday, police questioned whether his two killings were linked to the November 7, 2021 shooting of his 62-year-old Muslim man, Mohammad Ahmadi, from Afghanistan. I made a shocking announcement when I was investigating.
"Our homicide detectives and investigators now believe it is highly likely that the same individual committed all three of his crimes," said Albuquerque Police's Criminal Investigation Division. 's deputy commander, Kyle Hartsock, said.
"I won't go into why I think so, but there is one thing that all victims, races and religions have in common: he shot and killed." ''
Another killing then took place. Just one day after that announcement, Naeem Hussain, 25, was pronounced dead of a gunshot wound in the city. CNN
quoted a spokesman for the Albuquerque mosque that on the day he was killed, he was killed by two of his most recent victims. was present at the funeral of The only thing that united all the victims was that they were Muslims. Three were of South Asian descent.
Despite his brother's tragic death, Hussein said New Mexico has always been very welcoming. We have welcomed people of all colors, religions and sexual orientations," he said. "There is no hate in the roots of this society."
According to Hussain, his older brother moved to the United States from Pakistan in 2017, when he was 22, and attended the University of New Mexico. studied at He had a passion for politics and later found his job with a planning team in the city of Espanola, New Mexico.
He described his brother as an extrovert who likes fishing and playing cricket with his friends. He dreamed of one day running for parliament.
On the night of his death Mr. Hussein said his brother was at home. He probably went out to answer the phone and never came back.
Mr. Hussein called his brother's phone for hours but got no answer. Meanwhile, the street in front of his house was lined with police cars, and he began to get seriously worried.He called the police, who eventually confirmed that his brother had been shot dead. He was killed just down the road from his home.
Mr Hussain and the wider community were already in mourning when police announced that another Muslim man, Naeem Hussain, had been killed. Friday's latest killings only heightened fear among Albuquerque's Muslim community.
Anila Abad, general secretary of the Islamic Center of New Mexico in Albuquerque, } told The Independent that the three recent victims were regular visitors to the centre.
"They were great people. They were just normal people, nothing different," she said. "We are still in shock and trying to understand what the motives were. They were young men, especially the last three, who were bright stars, hard workers and not enemies.
Ms. Abbad said Albuquerque has always been a welcoming and tolerant place, and it is precisely that tolerance that has taken people so long to connect the dots between the killings.
"We were totally caught off guard," she said. “This state is one of the most welcoming, kind, diverse and more accepting of immigrants and refugees from around the world, so it took us some time to understand and connect the dots.
As it became clear that the killings may be linked, the Center, fearing the serial killer would escape, enacted tight new security to protect worshippers. introduced the protocol.
“We have five daily services and for the first time we have armed guards at all five services. "Historically we've never done that," she said.
"Our center is always open. And no more, we're very careful about who comes in," she added.
Centers are not the only ones taking extra precautions. Abad said Muslims in the city feared the worst. She joins her WhatsApp group with other leaders of the Muslim community and interfaith groups to quickly share information about potential threats.
"The whole dynamic has changed. People are scared," she said. "I asked our community to be very vigilant, look for things they hadn't noticed before, and look around before going out to see if they were being followed," she said.
Ms. Abad said some Muslim students and faculty at the University of New Mexico left the state for fear of being targeted by murderers.
"They are asking whether or not we should go. Can we walk from campus to our residence or is it unsafe? Should we carpool?" Some of them left the states and went to neighboring states for their families," she said. Ng, possibly a Jetta or Passat, said it was searching in connection with the killing. They have also stepped up patrols in certain areas of the city, but have not specified locations.
President Joe Biden said on Sunday that he was angry and saddened by the brutal murder of four Muslim men in Albuquerque.
“While awaiting a full investigation, my prayers are with the families of the victims, and my administration strongly supports the Muslim community. No," he said in a statement.
Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said the city was taking steps to increase security.
"I'm hearing from the community that the fear is so strong that they are worried about getting food and even meals for certain people in certain parts of town," he said. rice field.