One of shooters in deadly attack at San Diego mosque was previously flagged by FBI | San Diego mosque shooting
According to US media reports, one of the two white supremacist attackers who attacked a mosque in California on Monday and killed three people was already on the radar of law enforcement.
According to the New York Times, local authorities were so alarmed by Caleb Vazquez’s idolization of mass shooters and Nazism that they confiscated his father’s guns a year before the shooting. reports. Similarly with Bloomberg reports He said Vazquez had already been flagged as a “potential threat” by the FBI last year.
Eighteen-year-old Vazquez and his friend, 17-year-old Cain Clark, attacked the Islamic Center of San Diego earlier this week, killing three people, including a security guard who exchanged gunfire with the attackers and prevented them from reaching 140 schoolchildren. The two attackers later died from self-inflicted bullet wounds in the car they escaped from.
Associated Press reported This week, it was revealed that the two shooters were radicalized online where they first met and shared white supremacist and pro-Nazi views. In addition to calling for the “extermination” of Muslims, the duo also expressed hatred towards Jews, the LGBTQ+ community, black people and women.
Online material purportedly written by Vazquez and reviewed by the Guardian shows that he has a far-right and white supremacist “accelerationist” ideology that encourages extreme violence. NPR reported The San Diego attack bore worrying similarities to the 2019 Christchurch mosque massacre in New Zealand, which left 51 people dead.
Vazquez was already on law enforcement’s radar after someone pointed out his disturbing social media posts to authorities. Last year, a police officer wrote in a protective order that Vazquez had engaged in “suspicious behavior” that idolized Nazis and mass shooters, leading authorities to seize Vazquez’s father’s guns. According to the Times report, Vazquez was also placed under involuntary psychiatric supervision.
Vazquez’s father and his wife had 26 weapons in their home, including pistols, rifles and shotguns. In his statement, the father wrote that he voluntarily put the guns in a warehouse because of his concerns about his son. The court ordered him to voluntarily surrender his weapons to the authorities.
Authorities said they found at least 30 guns, ammunition and crossbows in two separate homes following Monday’s attack. It’s unclear whether the guns used in the attack came from Vazquez’s home, as authorities say Clark also grew up with guns.
Following the attack, the Vazquez family apologized for their son’s behavior. expression It was provided by a lawyer who blamed his autism diagnosis and online radicalization. The family said they “resolutely oppose the ideology and actions that led to this tragedy.” They also apologized to the families of the three people killed.
On Monday, both shooters arrived at the Islamic Center of San Diego and tried to get inside, prompting a security guard to open fire and forcing them out. The guard called for a lockdown as the trio engaged in a gunfight.
The attackers managed to enter the lobby and fatally shot the security guard, but they were unable to reach anyone as the mosque’s rooms were empty during the lockdown. The attackers then went out to the parking lot and fatally shot two more people working at the mosque. Authorities said this week that the men led the attackers away from the building.
The mosque’s imam said this week that the community had been subjected to hate mail and messages in the past.
