Police in New Mexico have been investigating the murders of four men in recent months who were accused of being of Muslim or South Asian background. It reportedly claimed that it was "likely" to have been targeted.
deaths occurred in quick succession.
On July 26, his 41-year-old Aftab Hussein, a member of Albuquerque's large Afghan community and a café employee, was sent to the city on July 26. was founddead from gunshot wounds near the International District of.
Two weeks later, Muhammad Afzal Hussein, 27, who had traveled from Pakistan to the United States and worked as a planning director for the city of Espanola, also died of a gunshot wound in Albuquerque. was discovered.
Then on Friday, Naeem Hussein was shot dead in the parking lot of his NGO in Albuquerque, which serves refugees and asylum seekers, according to the Islamic Center of New Mexico..
Hussein, who hails from Afghanistan and Pakistan and has no apparent connection to Muhammad Hussein, visited the funerals of his two other murdered men on the day he was killed. rice field.
"People are starting to panic right now," Tahir Gauba, director of public affairs at the Islamic Center in New Mexico, told Albuquerque Journal. . "Especially right after the funeral, the same thing happened on the same day. So it's really crazy."
According to Reuters, Albuquerque Police Deputy Commander Kyle Hartsock said at a press conference this week.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations reportedly offered a $10,000 reward to anyone with information leading to the arrest of those implicated in the killings. We offer bounties. According to NPR, Albuquerque Police are offering a $15,000 bounty.
Authorities are calling on members of the community of all backgrounds to work together to stop the killings.
"This is something that affects us all," Bernallio County District Attorney Raul Torres said at a news conference on Saturday. "Every member of this community must stand up."
The city's Equality and Inclusion Department provided information on the killings in Arabic, Farsi, Dari and Urdu on Saturday.
"We urge the entire Albuquerque interfaith community and all people of Albuquerque to ensure that law enforcement identifies those responsible." I strongly urge you to help me find him and make an arrest," office commander Michelle Melendez said during a briefing.. "Please, please, call us for any information."
Local leaders condemned the violence. Ahmad Assed, president of the Islamic Center of New Mexico, toldThe New York Timesthat . The idea that someone has this much hatred for innocent people. We are scared of our families, we are scared of our children. And we are incredibly confused as to why this is happening.
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham tweeted on Saturday that the murder was "extremely upsetting and totally intolerable" and that "during this difficult time, Albuquerque and New Mexico "I promised to do everything I can to support the state's Muslim community." time.
"You're New Mexican. You're welcome here. We stand by you," she added.
Local police and her FBI. New Mexico State Police; Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. and the US Marshals Service are all supporting the investigation.
"In addition to investigating this murder, we are devoting resources to critical patrols in his area and neighborhoods within Albuquerque," said APD Chief Harold Medina. said on Saturday. “We have lifted overtime caps for police officers so that we have access to several specialized units to ensure a strong presence of police officers in Albuquerque to keep our communities safe.” 69}
According to the latest federal data, 55 hate crime cases were reported in 2020, up from 50 in 2019.
