HOUSTON: A suspect has been taken into custody over the killing of four Muslim men in the past nine months in Albuquerque, the largest city of the US state of New Mexico, police said on Tuesday, reported Xinhua.
The police has “tracked down the vehicle believed to be involved in a recent murder of a Muslim man in Albuquerque,“ the city’s police chief Harold Medina tweeted.
“The driver was detained and he is our primary suspect for the murders,“ he said.
Medina didn’t identify the suspect, and it’s not clear if the man was the suspect in all the homicides.
Four Muslim men were killed in ambush shootings in the city since November, and three of them were shot dead in 10 days. Authorities believe the homicides, which have gained national and international attention, were likely linked and targetting Muslim men based on their race and religion.
Naeem Hussain, a South Asian man in his mid-20s, was shot dead in a parking lot late Friday night, hours after attending the funerals of 41-year-old Aftab Hussein and 27-year-old Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, who were killed in ambush shootings near their homes on July 26 and Aug 1 respectively.
Police are also investigating whether the November 2021 killing of Mohammad Ahmadi, 62, is also related. Ahmadi, a Muslim man of South Asian descent, was shot dead behind a halal market he owned with his brother.
Albuquerque is on pace for another record-setting year of homicides, according to local media reports. - Bernama
