Police in Albuquerque, New Mexico have detained and charged a 51-year-old man for murdering a Muslim man. Police state that additional possible charges may be filed connected to other murders.
Albuquerque, New Mexico
51-year-old Muhammad Syed was held in custody by Albuquerque police on Tuesday for the recent murders of 2 Muslim men. The murder victims Aftab Hussein and Muhammad Afzaal Hussian were killed by gunshot on July 26 and August 1 correspondingly. The two murders were linked by bullet casings found by the detectives.
The authorities found Syed with the help of a public tip. The accused had escaped in a Volkswagen Jetta when the police searched for him at his house.
Eventually, Syed was arrested in Santa Rosa. Police have discovered several firearms at his place including the possible weapon used in the double homicide.
The accused seemed to know his victims, says the FBI. The arrest news was posted on Twitter by the Chief of police Harold Medina on Tuesday afternoon.
“We tracked down the vehicle believed to be involved in a recent murder of a Muslim man in Albuquerque. The driver was detained and he is our primary suspect for the murders.”
Possible Link To Other Murders
Similar incidents took place in November. The police believe that there is a possible connection between these strings of murders. These strings of violent crimes have left the Albuquerque Muslim community unnerved. However, police cannot yet declare them to be hate crimes.
An award of $10,000 was announced by the American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) for any tips or information related to the incident.
CAIR also thanked the police department for the arrest of the alleged suspect, providing relief to the Muslim community.
However, the investigation is still ongoing regarding the nature and motive behind these murders. The reports indicate that specific members of the Shia community have been targeted, though specific details about these murders could not be confirmed.
