The suspect in the murder of four Muslim men in Albuquerque after being detained by New Mexico state police has been linked to a crime that has rocked the city and its small Muslim community. Denying the relationship and telling authorities that he was so nervous about the violence that he drove to Houston in search of a new home for his family, according to court documents.
Muhammad Said, 51, was arrested Monday during a traffic stop for more than 160 kilometers (100 miles) of his car, according to documents released in a criminal complaint Tuesday night. There were only clothes, shoes and a handgun inside. from his Albuquerque home.
But investigators found that the bullet casings found in Said's car matched the caliber of the weapon believed to have been used in his two murders, and that the shells found at those crime scenes determined to be related to the gun found in the home of The criminal complaint said.
Said, an Afghan immigrant, told detectives that he served in special forces in Afghanistan and fought the Taliban with the help of a Pashto interpreter, the complaint says. He also denied involvement in the killings during interviews with detectives, according to the complaint. caused fear in the Muslim community in New Mexico's largest city and created hints that led to the arrest of Said, who knew the victims, officials said.
He was scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday afternoon. Prosecutors had planned to ask him to be held without bail pending trial. Court documents did not list Saeed's attorney.
'Sigh of Relief'
After the arrest, Albuquerque's Muslim community breathed an "astonishing sigh of relief," says New His Islam. center chairman Ahmad Ased said. Mexico. "Life was turned upside down."
Three more were killed between July 26 and his August 5, following the first killing last November.
Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina said it was not yet clear whether these deaths should be classified as hate crimes or not. serial killer or both.
According to police, Syed lived in the United States for about five years.
"The perpetrator had some knowledge of the victim. A relationship conflict may have led to the shooting," police said, according to a police statement, but investigators said they Work continued to identify how they crossed paths.
Deputy police chief Kyle Hart, when specifically asked if Saeed, a Sunni Muslim, was upset that his daughter married a Shiite Muslim Sock did not respond directly.He said, "The motives are still being fully explored to understand what the motives were." but warned against drawing conclusions about Saeed's motives, who occasionally attended the Center's mosque. Said, his wife, and one of his sons reported to police that they had dragged Saeed out of the car and beat and kicked him.
Her nosebleed, scratches and bruises were found on her boyfriend, she told police he was attacked because he didn't want a relationship with her.
Second and Third Incidents
Syed was arrested after a fight with his wife turned violent in May 2018. , court documents said. Prosecutors said both cases were later dismissed because the victims refused to press charges. was arrested as a suspect, but was eventually dismissed, court documents say.
The Albuquerque killings drew the attention of President Joe Biden, who said such attacks "have no place in America." Some people questioned their safety and restricted their movements.
"There is no justification for this evil. Taking innocent lives." There is no justification for this," Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said at a news conference in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday.
He called the killing "a mad act."
The earliest incident was the November killing of Mohammad Ahmadi, 62, from Afghanistan.
His 25-year-old Naeem Hussain from Pakistan was murdered last Friday. His death came days after Muhammad Afzar Hussein, 27, and Aftab Hussein, 41, who were also from Pakistan and were members of the same mosque.
Investigators believe that Saeed is the prime suspect in the deaths of Hussein and Ahmadi, but have yet to file charges in these cases.