Man charged with killing two Muslim men in New MexicoThe largest city told authorities it was not involved in their deaths, court documents show. Documents obtained by CBS News on Wednesday also provide new information that police implicated Muhammad Said, who killed Aftab Hussein and he killed Muhammud Afzaal Hussain. indicted for the crime. Hussein was shot while he was getting out of a car on July 26 and killed while walking on a sidewalk a few days later, officials said. Both shootings fired multiple bullets, which authorities previously described as ambush-type attacks.
Syed, 51, was parked in his gray Volkswagen Jetta late Monday night about 100 miles from his home in Albuquerque. He told authorities he was going to Houston "to find a new place for his family to live because things are bad in Albuquerque." Said said he heard about the shooting on the news.
Documents show that he had clothes, shoes, and a pistol or handgun at the time.
He told authorities in an interview early Tuesday morning that he had known Hussein since 2016 and recognized him at a party, according to documents. However, he denied any involvement in their deaths.
He also confirmed to police that he was the owner of the Jetta. This was consistent with the previous description of theshooting suspect's vehicle. Syed also said he had his AK-47 rifle, which he kept under his bed, and his 9mm handgun, which authorities found in his car.
Authorities had Saeed's rifle during a search of his home in Albuquerque, and tests found the rifle fired into cartridges found at both murder sites, the document said. Says. Authorities said they were also able to link his handgun to a used shell casing found at the scene of the murder and to a casing in the space between the Jetta's windshield and bonnet.
Police said they were able to confirm that Said had purchased two of his weapons and a scope for his AK-47 within the past year and a half. Also, one of his sons said in an interview with authorities that neither he nor his brother ever touched his father's weapon.
It said it received "multiple" pieces of information. — identified to authorities as a former member of the Afghan special forces that fought the Taliban — to the shooting.
Syed has only been charged with two murders, but authorities said Tuesday that he was in two recent murders of a Muslim man.. Naeem Hussain was killed in Albuquerque on August 5 and Mohammed Zaher Ahmadi was killed on November 7, 2021. } .
In a statement Tuesday, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) thanked law enforcement for the arrest, saying, "The news that this violence has ended is a comfort and relief to Muslims in New Mexico."
"While we await more information about these crimes, it is possible that the suspects targeted specific members of the Shia community." "If this is true, it is completely unacceptable and we encourage law enforcement to file appropriate hate crime charges against the suspects."
Law enforcement officials have not disclosed a motive for the killing.
Sophie Reardon is a news editor for CBS News. sophie.reardon@viacomcbs.com
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