Three dead in California mosque attack - two shooters committed suicide

Three people have died in a shooting carried out by two youths on May 18, 2026, targeting the premises of the 'Islamic Center of San Diego' (ICSD), the largest mosque in San Diego, California, USA. The two suspects, aged 17 and 18, who carried out the shooting, later committed suicide, and authorities are investigating this incident as a hate crime.

With the discovery of anti-Muslim documents and notes containing racist ideas at the scene of the incident and in the suspects' vehicle, it has been confirmed that this was a planned attack targeting Muslims.

The mother of one of the two youths who carried out this attack, Kane Clark (17) and Caleb Vasquez (18), made an emergency call to the police around 9:42 AM that day, informing them that her son had left home dressed in an outfit similar to a military uniform, carrying firearms and his car, and that he was at risk of committing suicide. About two hours later, around 11:43 AM, the shooting was reported near the mosque in Clairemont. Police officers, acting swiftly, reached the scene within minutes, and by approximately 1:07 PM, the bodies of the two suspects, who had died by suicide inside a vehicle parked near the mosque, were discovered.

Three adult males who were outside the mosque died in this tragic incident. One of them is Amin Abdullah, a father of eight children and a long-serving security officer at the mosque. He saved the lives of many by risking his own, preventing the attackers from entering the mosque and its school premises, and has been hailed as a hero by the community and the police. The other two deceased individuals are mosque staff members, one of whom has been identified as a teacher named Mohammed Nader. No children were harmed in the attack, and all those inside the mosque were safely evacuated.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is currently assisting in the investigation of this shooting, which was carried out using semi-automatic firearms. The mosque premises, which include the 'Bright Horizon' Academy, opened in 1989 and offering classes from kindergarten to 3rd grade, is the largest mosque in San Diego County. This attack occurred against a backdrop where the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) had previously reported a record increase in anti-Muslim bias complaints in the United States in 2025.

Following this incident, a strong shock and protest have emerged across America, and President Donald Trump, California Governor Gavin Newsom, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, as well as the Council on American-Islamic Relations, have strongly condemned it as an "American tragedy." Steps have been taken to close the Islamic Center of San Diego mosque until further notice, and requests have been made to authorities to strengthen security at Islamic centers across America following this incident. The New York Police Department (NYPD) has also reportedly deployed additional patrols around mosques in its state.