"We have located a vehicle believed to be involved in the recent murder of a Muslim man in Albuquerque," Medina tweeted. "The driver is in custody and he is the prime suspect in the murder. We will update the media later this afternoon."
Police did not provide details on how the killing unfolded, but he said three of the victims were killed. Aftab Hussein, 41, and his 62-year-old Mohammad Ahmadi were "ambushed, shot and killed without warning."
A fourth man, 25, Naeem Hussain, then attended the service after community members held the funerals of his two victims following solemn prayers on Friday. He was found dead a few hours later. He was the third Muslim to be killed in the city within two weeks of him, and the fourth since November.
Police have not confirmed that all four attacks are related, but they say they are investigating. No one has been taken into custody, so police have not commented on possible motives or whether the shooting is being investigated as a hate crime.
Having a pedigree was "extremely troubling," said Kyle Hartsock, deputy commander of the City Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division.
The vehicle featured in the recent murder of four Muslim men in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Police have not released a description of the suspect in the killing. But they say they are looking for a "vehicle of interest" that may be linked to the four murders, a dark-silver sedan that police suspect is a Volkswagen his Jetta. said to be sexual.
However, it remains unclear who owned the car and where it was located in the photos released by the agency. Police said the car was "suspected to have been used as a vehicle in the recent murders of four Muslim men."
"At least he believes it was that vehicle that was the key to the two shootings," Mayor Timothy Keller told CNN on Monday. “There are also cartridge cases that can be linked through national databases. A bounty of $20,000 is offered for arrest. Authorities have also set up aonline portalfor residents to upload videos and images to aid investigations.
Ambush-style killings
His three recent killings claimed the lives of men from Pakistan.
The latest murder occurred on Truman Street and Grand Avenue just before midnight on 5 August. Police responded to reports of shootings and found Naeem Hussain dead from a gunshot wound.
He attended the funerals of his two other victims on the same day and expressed his concerns about the shooting, according to a spokesman for a mosque in Albuquerque.
At approximately 9:19 pm on 1 August, police found Muhammad Afzar Hussein on the sidewalk. Located in the area of Cornell Street and Reed Avenue. Police say he was shot and died from his injuries.
At 10:30 pm on July 26, officers found Aftab Hussein, who had an apparent gunshot wound, in his 400 block in Rhode Island. Police said he also died from his injuries.
The August 1 and July 26 shootings prompted police to investigate whether he was connected to another murder that occurred on November 7. That day, police found Afghan Mohammad Ahmadi with a gunshot wound in a parking lot. He is behind the business he ran with his brother.
"Our homicide detectives and investigators now believe it is highly likely that the same person committed all three of these crimes," Hartsock said last week. , Aftab Hussein, said referring to the shooting of Mohammad. Ahmadi. "I won't go into why I think so, but all victims have one strong thing in common: race and religion.
" This coward who ambushed without warning and opened fire to kill," added Hartsock.
Albuquerque's Muslim community lives in fear
The killings have put the city's Muslim community at risk and According to Ahmad Ased, director of the Islamic Center in New Mexico, where some are afraid to go to mosques, buy food, or even sit outside,
He said he was one of many Muslims in New Mexico who struggle with fear every day.
"I get in the car and look in every possible direction. I look in the side mirrors. I look behind me. I'm looking for any signs of anomalies. Normal." He said.
After hearing the news of Muhammad Afzar Hussein's death, her nine-Muslim mother in Albuquerque told her children, ``I don't want to leave the house after a certain time. ’ said her mother, Samia Ased. she told CNN on Tuesday.
"I'm vigilant outside. We take care of ourselves. We don't go out. Our daily routines have changed," she said.
The city now has increased police presence at mosques, Islamic schools, and the University of New Mexico. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham also announced an additional state police presence in Albuquerque.
“Additional police patrols are being carried out at all mosques during prayer times, delivering food to those who are afraid to leave their homes. We are providing therapeutic services.It's their mosque for what they're going through," Keller said. "This is a very trying time for this community and our city."
Who are the victims?
Naeem Hussain emigrated as a refugee from Pakistan in 2016, fleeing persecution as a Shia Muslim, and finally became a U.S. citizen. It just happened. According to his brother-in-law, his Ehsan Shahalami,
this young man who ran a trucking business was said to have been a kind, generous and hardworking person.
Muhammad Afzaal Hussain worked on the planning team for the City of Espanola. According to the mayor's news release, he studied law and human resource management at the University of Punjab, Pakistan, and then received master's and bachelor's degrees in community and regional planning from the University of New Mexico.
"Muhammad was soft-spoken, kind and quick to laugh," said Espanola Mayor John Ramon Vigil. "He was respected and well-liked by his colleagues and members of the community."[92][93] Few details have been released about his two other victims.