A serial killer blinded by religious hatred is the focus of suspicion in the four murders that have devastated the tranquil New Mexico city of Albuquerque. Murders – three recent and one in November 2021 – that always have among their victims Muslim citizens from South Asia. The police have launched an investigation, which the FBI is also working on, which has created an online portal where the population can contribute useful information. Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, 27, and Aftab Hussein, 41, two Pakistanis who attended the same mosque, were killed a week apart on August 1 and July 26 respectively. The first was found dead on a sidewalk and the death is linked to gunfire, while the second was found badly injured by gunfire and later died. On Friday night, 25-year-old Naeem Hussain was killed, whose body was found by officers responding to news of a shooting just before midnight. His killing, Albuquerque police said, “could be linked” to that of the other two Muslims and perhaps also to that of Mohammad Ahmadi, 62, a Muslim from Afghanistan who was killed on Nov. 7 outside a shop that he led with his brother. An unsolved murder that the police are now trying to solve. “I am angry and saddened by these deaths – wrote US President Joe Biden on Twitter – while we await the outcome of the investigation, my prayers are with the families of the victims. My administration stands alongside the Muslim community. These hate attacks have no business in America.” Meanwhile, the investigation continues and police have released a leaflet detailing an “interesting vehicle”: who owns it or how it is linked to the attacks not clear but “it is suspected that it was used as a vehicle of transport in the recent murders of 4 Muslim men ». “We have to find him,” said Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller. Law enforcement has not definitively confirmed whether all four attacks are related, but the police department’s Deputy Criminal Investigation Commander, Kyle Hartsock, admitted that “there is a strong commonality across all victims, race and religion.” For her part, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said she was “angry and saddened that this is happening in this state, a place that prides itself on diversity of culture and thought. We are not ». “We will not stop in our search for justice for the victims and their families – he added – and we are providing all means to arrest the killer or killers, we will find them.” The governor said she will send more state police, and the city is increasing the presence of officers at mosques, Muslim schools and the University of New Mexico. Local and national Muslim groups at the same time warned residents to be careful: “We urge everyone to take precautions, including making sure you are not being followed and avoid walking alone at night,” the New Islamic Center wrote Facebook. These warnings are particularly directed at our members who live in the area south-east of the city where the killings took place ».
